Zombies swarm around hastag

There are two things that seem to work well in advertising; zombies and reverse psychology.

With this in mind the Darewin Agency created a social media campaign for 'The Walking Dead' in France for the TV channel NT1. They urged viewers not to use the hashtag #walkingdeadNT1 as it was 'contaminated with a virus'. Those that did were then stalked by online zombies.

This clever ploy started with ads on the website that led to people trying it out to see what happened, obviously this then led to them telling others to use the hashtag to gain their own zombie followers. They also introduced this to Facebook, with zombies commenting on posts where the hashtag was used.

The final result was 30,000 users being "attacked" by zombies in less than two weeks, with 550,000 impressions tallied, and most importantly for the TV channel, viewers ratings were up.

Another clever marketing campaign for the TV series, that some may feel doesn't need marketing. Watch the campaign video below.

2011 Zombie Safe House Competition

For the second year in a row, Architects Southwest has inspired 200 applicants from 12 countries to design imaginative zombie-proof architecture that will save thousands of lives during the inevitable zombie apocalypse. The goal of the competition is to “design a haven that can withstand a full-on zombie assault on civilization as we know it.” These creative designs may one day save you from the dead, therefore voting is important. Here's an insight into some of the top competitors.

The Oil Silo Home. This reuses abandoned Oil Silos to create a self-sufficient, zombie proof multi-family complex.

The Zombie Ranch. Safely houses residents in a zombie-powered vertical farm.

The Eiffel Tower. Adapted to provide all basic human needs with a wind turbine, rain water collection, vertical farming, and electric legs forbidding any zombie to climb the tower.

The Submersible Z House. This allows tenants to live a luxurious life uninterrupted, with a built-in greenhouse, fish farm, tidal powered turbines constructed of razor blades, and a fully-armed luxurious escape pod for backup.

To browse through the entries and give thumbs up to your favorite designs visit the competition website or to read more visit Archdaily. Voting ends today on Halloween, October 31st, 2011.