ABC markets the show, and may hire an agency to create assets to do this, like ARGs. Unfortunately, ABC does not produce, film, write or edit the show. Networks may have control of the shows from a high level, but the marketing departments rarely even see an episode before it airs, other than previews.

Very often networks are leery of trying to get the production company involved in marketing and production companies are leery of giving network marketers access to the show. Of course neither writers or producers are usually very savvy about web2.0 stuff like ARGs. So you see, here is the disconnect. The agency hired to create and execute the ARGs, very rarely has access to anything, other than some notes scribbled down by the writers.

It would be smart if producers themselves brought in a marketing agency at the very early stages of the show to be involved during production, to soak up the mythos of a show and to work hand-in-hand with the writers to develop a single ARG, structured to las the lifetime of the show. Even if the show gets cancelled, the ARG can be used to wrap things up, keeping viewers from being to pissed at the network.

So, for any shows getting underway, give me a shout!

Clearly, the actor’s strike, financial problems, and the difficult scheduling have had a hand in messing up the ARG-show relationship, leading to part of the story falling through the cracks. But it’s important to note that Lost is a very ambitious show, and I think they’ve done much better than many others in bringing in different story/narrative elements.

1) They’re never going to answer what the numbers are in the show. The ARG was meant to answer the question literally for hardcore fans who wanted an answer… but I think, in terms of the show’s narrative, the numbers will be a MacGuffin of sorts that will never be directly explained, sort of adding to the show’s rapture with mystery pervading its characters’ everyday lives.

2) The new ARG you mentioned at the end of the article is a confirmed hoax.

3) And, just IMHO, the show’s mythology is so sprawling that viewers who want to increase their engagement with the show would do fine just studying past episodes. The stuff written on the blast door map has more intel than any auxiliary ABC-run web initiative.