Wed Jan 16, 2008 — by Rick Marshall

New promotion for The Dark Knight puts celebrities on the spot

Bad guys always have the best marketing teams - just ask John Mayer

Seriously, what criminal mastermind thinks this stuff up?

Last month, singer John Mayer found himself on the receiving end of a clever new promotion for The Dark Knight, the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins. Apparently, the crew at Warner Bros. has targeted celebrities with the next phase of their marketing push for the July 2008 release, sending packages from "Gotham Novelties, Inc." to unsuspecting recipients around the entertainment industry. Within the box, Mayer found a Joker playing card and promotional shirt, both scrawled in red with the character's taglines.

"High five, marketing genius..." wrote Mayer in a post on his blog about the package.

Warner Bros. efforts in the realm of viral marketing for "Dark Knight" have become the stuff of InterWebs legends, with many sites praising the strategies and cataloging the complicated steps necessary to complete certain promotions.

More photos of the package and Mayer's thoughts on the new promotion can be found on his site.

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