Local firm Electra-fies promotion for DVD debut: Jetset's viral campaign gets interactive with film's sexy actress.

LOCAL creative marketing company Jetset Studios' most recent viral marketing campaign for the Fox film "Meet the Spartans"--a spoof of the "300" genre--used an unusual promotional method: allowing fans to tattoo their names on a digital image of Carmen Electra's body and receive a personalized phone message from the actress.

The first of a two-part film and DVD campaign generated hundreds of thousands of participants and was widely considered one of the most successful viral campaigns to date, according to Fox executives.

"While viral marketing has bridged the Internet and mobile divide before, I don't believe that it has never been done to this extent," said Patrick Young, co-founder of Los Angeles-based Jetset Studios.

The initial campaign, designed for the theatrical release of the film, allowed Web site visitors to enter their name, photograph and phone number of either themselves or an unsuspecting friend to create a customized video interview with Electra in which she talks about her new "boyfriend," reveals a tattoo of his name on her posterior and shows off his picture--all created digitally.

Upon completing the interview, Electra uses her mobile phone to call her "boyfriend." Seconds later, the number entered into the site rings with a personalized message from her.

In the latest campaign promoting the release of the DVD, much is the same except this time the sexy starlet calls and dumps you or a friend saying, "It's not you it's me, but you'll always have the DVD to remember me by."

The DVD hit store shelves last week.

Staff reporter Brett Sporich can be reached at [e-mail] or at [phone], ext. 226