When the Louisiana Superdome unexpectedly lost power soon after the start of the third quarter of the Baltimore Ravens-San Francisco 49ers game, fans took to Twitter to express frustration and offer suggestions as to what might be causing the blackout. This chance power outage also inspired the folks behind NBC’s "Revolution" to do a little creative promotion for their fledgling post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama.
First, the official Twitter account for "Revolution" (@NBCRevolution) sent out a “warning”:
“Just a taste of what’s to come on March 25. #LightsOut #Revolution”
Followed by a picture of one of the "Revolution" power amulets very familiar to the show’s viewers:
“If only the stadium had one of these… #RevolutionMarch25 ow.ly/i/1sWdP
Set 15 years in the future, Revolution explores what life could be like in a world inexplicably stripped of all electricity, where mankind is forced to adapt to life without computers, cell phones or cars, and the resulting total collapse of government and civil order. Part of the show’s storyline involves characters searching for a few mysterious amulets that can restore power to their powerless world.
Other Twitter pundits were quick to voice their own Revolution comparisons as well:
Taryn O'Neill @tarynoneill (sci-fi actress/writer): "If this was on NBC I would have said it was a promo stunt for #Revolution. #SB47 #superblackout"
Julie Plec @julieplec (Executive Producer of "The Vampire Diaries"): "NBC and JJ Abrams just 'Revolution' photobombed the Superbowl. #blackout"
Glen Mazzara @glenmazzara (former Showrunner for "The Walking Dead" : "Is this the beginning of the apocalypse? Or a lame stunt promoting Revolution?"
Considering the exorbitant price tag for Super Bowl commercial time (the average 30-second game spot costs $4 million+ these days), this unlikely opportunity for free publicity during such a high-profile event could be viewed as a gift from the gods for "Revolution," which has been on an extended and mid-season break for nearly four months and is not due to resume on NBC until March 25.
One can assume that NBC was delighted to take advantage of the 34-minute Super Bowl game delay to remind viewers that "Revolution" would indeed be coming back full force in the spring.
More power to them, I say.
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