Every so often a movie that’s up for release really pushes the limits when in terms of their marketing campaign. And while some people find that the extra publicity stunts and hype as being fun, others may argue it’s obnoxious at best.  Like it or not, such is the case with ‘Battle: Los Angeles.’ 

Set to debut on March 11, 2011 ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ has already started to make a name for itself.  With numerous trailer and poster campaigns released last year, that was just the beginning for the aggressive marketing campaign that was about to take place.

At the June 2010 Comic Con, posters directed people to reportthreats.org, a website apparently run by a group called Worldwide Assessment of Threats Concerning Humankind, or WATCH. The website was, of course, part of the promotional campaign for the film.

Then on January 28, 2011 several videos posted to YouTube appeared to show a strange ball of light hovering above a Jerusalem shrine before disappearing into the night. Countless people believed they were witnessing a UFO sighting, and the videos almost immediately went viral.  At first the clips seemed convincing because they were shot from different angles – but later it appeared to be an elaborate hoax. And now the video has even been pulled from YouTube.

Though nothing has been confirmed, it’s believed that this was yet another publicity stunt for ‘Battle: Los Angeles.’ Several skeptical YouTube users have pointed out how the UFO clips appeared to have been digitally manipulated. That hasn’t stopped one of the videos clocking in more than a million views, just a few weeks before the release of the movie.

In addition, a video game is in the works and will be released concurrently with the movie in March.  In the meantime you can play a brower-based game that Sony has released that’s directly related to ‘Battle: Los Angeles.’  Basically, it’s a first person shooter, and your job is to kill the invading aliens as they come to your street.  Your job?  Try to hold them off for as long as you can.   You can find the game here: Battle: LA Game. The graphics leave much to be desired but it’s still somewhat fun.

There’s even an interactive map that shows you where the attacks are taking place.  You can find that here: Interactive Map.

So how do you feel about all of this?  Do you appreciate the efforts of Hollywood and their attempts to get people excited about upcoming movies?  Or do you subscribe to the idea that what they’re doing borders on “media manipulation?”  Are you more determined than ever to see the film now, or have they turned you off to it?  Let us know what you think!