• by Aaron Baar , July 6, 2012

The upcoming summer movie “Total Recall” is (for people who don’t remember the Arnold Schwarzenegger original) a mind-bending film of a man who may or may not be an ordinary factory worker visiting a company that can create and deposit memories of fantastic life experiences in the minds of its clients. To sell the August release (this time starring Colin Farrell), Sony Pictures Entertainment is looking to give consumers some extraordinary experiences … and the real memories to go with them. 

The “Welcome to Rekall” sweepstakes features a dedicated Web site through which people can use their Facebook profiles to receive a personalized video detailing one of nine fantastic “experiences,” such as becoming a UFC fighter or a rock star. The “rock star” experience, for instance, pulls information from the public news feed such as where a person lives for their homecoming concert and creates a band from the user’s friends list. 

In addition to the UFC and Rock Star experiences (which feature sessions with UFC training and hanging out with Green Day, respectively), other experiences include “Sports Anchor” (in which a winner spends the day at ESPN headquarters), “Secret Agent” (in which a winner attends the Stiletto Spy School or MI6 Academy), and “Video Gamer” (which awards one person the chance to travel to Microsoft headquarters to meet a game developer and play against a professional gamer). 

In addition to the online component, Sony will host real-world “Welcome to Rekall” experiences in New York, Los Angeles and at ComicCon in San Diego. At those kiosks, users will be able to choose their Rekall experience and receive a photo badge of themselves in the Rekall-provided memory.  

“Blurring the line between fantasy and reality and questioning what is real versus what is imagined is at the heart of this movie and our campaign,” said Marc Weinstock, president of worldwide marketing for Sony Pictures, in a statement. “Through welcometorekall.com, moviegoers get a true taste of the Total Recall experience as they vie for real and unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to live out their own fantasies.”