Netflix wants to tweet you a reminder when Marco Polo is available

Netflix wants to make sure you remember to check out Marco Polo the minute it’s available; to that end, the company is testing a new Twitter ad that will send you a reminder on or around 3:01AM ET / 12:01AM PT next Friday, December 12th.

Doing so will prompt you to tweet the following message from your own account: “On 12/12, I will face the great Kublai Khan. Join my mission: @MarcoPoloMP premiere #NetflixReminder http://nflx.it/reminder” (yep, that’s an Italian top-level domain — appropriate given the subject matter). It isn’t clear if the tweet is required to sign up, but however obnoxious it is, people seem to be playing along.

According to a statement by Netflix (via The Next Web), “The reminder will come in as an @Reply from the @MarcoPoloMP Twitter account, directed at each user who has opted in, as soon as the episodes are available at 12:01AM Pacific time on December 12, and will include a custom video message from the cast.” It’s a cute concept and undoubtedly will be repeated in the future (hello, House of Cards), but please don’t require me to be an extension of the advertising campaign.