Video: There's $10,000 Buried Somewhere In NYC!

Goooooold!

We received an email this morning which alerted us that somewhere in New York City, right now, there is $10,000 in U.S. mint one-dollar coins buried in a treasure chest.

The sender of this email told us this was for a new independently-produced puppet web video series that's launching... but this sort of reeks of corporate viral marketing, no? Either way, there really is $10K buried out there somewhere in the five boroughs—and if you find it, it's yours. According to the below video, clues will start on August 1st, and there will be 8 weekly videos released.

There's a website set up, called We Lost Our Gold, which reiterates this is in no way a contest or promotion. We want to believe, but because viral marketing has made us so jaded, we're not totally accepting that this won't end with the finder of the loot becoming a PR puppet owned by some evil corporate overlord. Dig at your own risk...

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on June 21, 2010 12:25 PM

Comments [rss]

theLtrain

Gothamist superstar crew really jockin Jen in the comments of this one.

Humptydank

If it is not what we would call a "campaign" then it is what we would call a "hoax."

danno

There's a new Bway production coming of "How to Succeed in Business," starring Daniel Radcliffe. A treasure hunt not unlike this is a major plot point in the musical. This would be more hip than Broadway producers usually get, but still....

Guest

is there a ping attack on gothamist right now? what's going on?

Guest

ok, let me get the numbers straight. 8 weekly videos, probably ~2 min long each... that's 16 minutes over a 2 month period. ~1 million participants... 16 million minutes of work (or 267 thosand hours over 2 months for $10,000) put together, and you're definitely not guaranteed a payout.

i'll stick to my job. or a better one.

haa....*sigh*

jibbly

It's buried under a big "T"

http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/episodes/homer-the-vigilante

ides_of_march

Apologies for the triple post. PC seized up.

Mordicai

I don't mind viral advertising when it is fun?

potsmoker

wait why does the ninja character have one giant slit instead of eyes?

ides_of_march

Is it buried under a big "W"?

ides_of_march

Is it buried under a big "W"?

ides_of_march

Is it buried under a big "W"?

matty

I think this is the first time I've seen Jen Carlson admit that her article is just a viral marketing piece. Anyway, thanks for the advertisement, Jen. Great work as always.

thefacts

So, does she get paid by Gothamist for this non-news story, or does she get paid off by some corporate sponsor?

I'm curious. Any guesses?

matty

Honestly, I think she just likes to do it. Something about her being wise to a secret that the public isn't probably appeals to her inner adolescent.