Clow and his colleagues had studied how rave promoters publicized their parties with flyers, with "wild posting" on construction sites and lampposts, with rubber stamps and sidewalk markings and E-mail. They began to use the term "viral communications" as a way to describe how a big brand like Levi's could emulate such low-profile means to infiltrate youth culture and cultivate hot-zone perceptions.

The new ad is running in newspapers and on "wildposting" — the posters pasted up at construction sites and buildings — but is not displayed in movie theaters because it would have cost too much to distribute, according to New Line officials, who said the total marketing budget for "Menace" is around $6.5 million, about average for a low-budget film.

Ever wonder how all those movie posters suddenly appear on boarded-up buildings and construction sites like flowers after a spring rain?

National Promotion and Advertising is behind it. It's call wild posting, and they've been at it for 16 years.