There was a tantalizing tidbit in the LA Times today: Beware! ABC's hit Lost is leading us down a strange and new high-tech path. It's all a bit mysterious. Looks like they are reinventing the Lost series this season by combining some kind of web-based environment along with the TV-based storyline. This is getting interesting.
I've been in the tech field for a long time, and seeing this makes me smile a bit about all of the "new media pundits" who are constantly preaching that smaller, faster, leaner, meaner media will make the "old school" irrelevant. Sometimes. But, more often than not the old school becomes the new school right under the noses of the change masters who thought they came up with the idea.
Will ABC do it with Lost? Well, probably not. But, it represents the kind of open-mindeness that traditional media needs. More power to them.
There's also an interesting twist:
To find the new adventure, you must watch the show's entire Wednesday episode. TiVo and DVR users be warned: There are clues in the commercials as well.
"It's TiVo-proof," Benson said. "We will surprise the audience with where and how things are placed as far as clues and content and information. The whole experience is designed to dig deep and find lots of interesting stuff."
Having grown up in the golden age of advertising, I'm not exactly opposed to the idea of making advertising relevant. Keeping it TiVo-proof isn't quite the motivation I would have hoped for, but who knows. I'm trying not to be so cynical these days. Let's keep our scorecards ready. Whether it succeeds or fails, maybe the new media gurus will learn something.
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