‘Lost’ TV bosses to give branded chocolate to fans

Touchstone Television, the maker of cult-TV show Lost, is launching a branded chocolate bar, and will distribute it free to fans as part of a campaign to support the show.

The Apollo bar, featured in several episodes, will be distributed across the US, the UK, Australia and Asia. The campaign will coincide with the end of the second series in the UK and the start of the third series in the US.

It is understood that Touchstone, part of Disney-owned broadcaster ABC, decided to create the Apollo bar itself after failing to sign a deal with a confectionery company (MW January 26).

The bar, only available for a limited period, forms part of the Lost Experience – an interactive “game” designed to run alongside the series. The game began this spring with clues scattered in the show, online and in “fake” ads for fictional company, The Hanso Foundation, during breaks. The foundation is also parent to the Apollo Candy Company, the fictional manufacturer of the bar. A website – www.apollocandy.com – will tell viewers where they can get the bars.

Channel 4 broadcasts the show, and is expected to spearhead the giveaway campaign across the UK.