Harnessing the Power of Online Social Communities for Branding and Market Development

In September 2004, ABC Entertainment (ABC) premiered its television drama series (TV series), Lost, which went on to become a huge success due to its gripping storyline and an integrated marketing campaign (IMC). The story of Lost revolved around a plane crash, after which the survivors find themselves stranded on a remote Pacific island. The island is apparently populated by supernatural forces.

As of April 2006, Lost was the fastest-selling TV series in Buena Vista International Television's history. It had been licensed in over 210 territories worldwide. According to ABC, Lost "has consistently been No. 1 in its timeslot".

Before the launch of the series, in mid-2004, ABC debuted Lost before 3,000 people, comprising mostly "young techies", at the popular annual comics convention Comic-Con in San Diego, USA. ABC also developed "official unofficial" websites like Lost-tv.com, well before the show was launched on TV. In these websites people could get information about the storyline and the characters. This was expected to kick-start a buzz about the show before it was aired. In addition to this, in a publicity stunt for Lost, ABC scattered 10,000 plastic bottles on beaches with a flier inside reading, "I'm 'Lost.' Find me on ABC." The pilot episode for Lost had reportedly cost around US$10 million, the highest in US television history...