Shades of the Cluetrain Manifesto, Universal has decided to try authenticity in the marketing of King Kong. I doubt this will be the start of a trend. People who’ve clawed their way to the top of the corporation can seldom be convinced to cede control. Unless to a king kong of director like Peter Jackson.

NY Times: Huge. Awesome. Irresistible. Just Not Overbearing by Ross Johnson

In a still more unusual sign of restraint, the studio is relying on Mr. Jackson to communicate directly with his own devotees, both through his official fan Web site (tbhl.theonering.net), and through postings to kongisking.net, which is run independent of the company. "It’s very important that the information being fed to Peter’s fans about ‘Kong’ is not studio sanctioned," said Ken Kamins, Mr. Jackson’s longtime Hollywood agent who is now his personal manager. "Peter is a movie fan himself, and he knows firsthand the mentality of the geek fan. They don’t want to be told by a studio what they’re supposed to like, and they love it when they’ve all been invited in on a little secret."