As in: Comics , Media , Memes

One of my favorite comics of the last few years is Warren Ellis' Global Frequency. I'd heard rumors (that have since proved to be true) that the comic had been optioned for television. Awesome. Then, I saw what I could only think was a bit of viral marketing: a sign that said "Are you on the frequency?"

A bit of investigation yielded confusing results:

Me (to one of my students who reads comics): Does the phrase "Are you on the frequency?" mean anything to you?
Hip student: Global Frequency?

and...

Me (to a trendy member of the office staff): Does the phrase "Are you on the frequency?" mean anything to you?
Trendy staff member: Doesn't that have something to do with Columbia?

Another quick search reveals that Columbia's on-campus TV station is called Frequency Tv.

So I'm curious about viral marketing. If the goal is to spread a meme, how important is it that the meme be unique? One could suggest that the "Are you on the Frequency?" sign fired both synapses for me. Does this make Frequency TV cooler? Does it make Global Frequency cooler? Could the connection be accidental, or is there someone in the Frequency TV marketing group who also checks both Columbia College and Warren Ellis Fan boxes? More importantly, if the "Are you on the Frequency?" poster was meant to lead people to Frequency TV, it's a bad thing for them that the top hit on Google is about Warren Ellis.

Posted by briley at February 17, 2006 9:13 AM