In a very clever marketing effort, HBO's new cable series about vampires, True Blood, is being promoted with a new "synthetic blood nourishment beverage" - TruBlood. As you can see from the pictures, Tru Blood is 100% pure and comes in various types such as A, B, AB, O, you get the picture. 
I particularly love the taglines from the ads for TruBlood such as:
- "All flavor. No bite."
- "Suck on this"
- "Real blood is for suckers"
- "Friends don't let friends drink friends"
There is even a website dedicated to the TruBlood beverage. When you visit the website, you even have to select your birthdate just as you would with a site that markets alcoholic beverages, but instead of inputting your birth year, you're asked for your birth century. Once you enter the site, you can view information about the different Tru Blood beverage products. For example, check out the copy for Type B:
"Type B - Aggressive and Energizing: This stylish blend is our tour de force. From its bouyant disposition to its curious adaptability, Type B's unique medley is loaded with haughty passion. TruBlood's Type B brings out an unbridled wildness in us all."
There is also a section of the website where you can take a quiz to learn which "type" you are as well as an online store where you can buy TruBlood merchandise. But that's not all. There's a blog called BloodCopy that's supposedly written by and for vampires.
It's a great campaign that works well with the theme of the show, particularly since it comes from the creators of "Six Feet Under", another HBO hit. I love the tongue-in-cheek vibe and the focus on social media marketing with the inclusion of a blog.
What do you think?
Hat tip to TheDieLine for this story.
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