‘Talk to the rock’ campaign asks Plymouth Rock visitors to seek wisdom from Pilgrim stone

PLYMOUTH – Tourists visiting town know there are certain must-see things to check out, chief among them being the Mayflower II and, of course, Plymouth Rock.

Those peering down at the world-famous stone, whose history as it relates to the Pilgrims’ remains the subject of conflicting opinions, see it and say, “Yup, that’s a rock, alright” and move on.

After all, during its centuries of being watched, the rock has yet to leap to life or wow a crowd with acrobatics and magic tricks.

“After watching people walk up and stare at Plymouth Rock, we thought we’d bring a humorous angle to their thoughts,” Lea Filson, President/CEO of See Plymouth, said.The organization, which is responsible for promoting and attracting people to the greater Plymouth area as a travel destination, found their answer in the “Talk to the Rock” campaign, which is underway now through Nov. 30.

Participants are encouraged to film themselves seeking the rock’s eons of wisdom, whether to ask a question or simply to vent about whatever is on their mind, and then upload their video to the See Plymouth site.

The five $500 winners will be announced online at noon Friday, Dec. 2.

The concept of the campaign is that Plymouth Rock, while being smaller than visitors may expect, has all the answers, according to Filson.

“Plymouth Rock is a glacial erratic that is over 600 million years old,” she said. “Who else can you talk to that has more wisdom?”

In addition to three spots produced and airing on WCVB, five other spots, produced by Plymouth Area Community Television (PACTV), are running digitally. Select print ads will display a QR code that takes people to information about the rock and the campaign.

According to See Plymouth, schools are also expected to take part this fall.

The ads, while promoting the contest, include clips of people talking to the rock as a sort of roadmap for others to follow as they produce their own videos.

Talk to the Rock: Rules and regulations and how to upload your video

There a few rules to abide by, such as keeping the videos clean and no longer than 15 seconds. Copyrighted materials and other people’s content should not be used in the creation of any videos.

“Getting everyone to engage with the Rock and share their experience may encourage others to do the same,” Filson said.

Info on Plymouth Rock, #TalkToTheRock videos and contest info can be found by visiting Seeplymouth.org

See Plymouth’s Top 10 reasons to talk the rock

1. It may not be impressive looking, but it has over 600 million years of wisdom.

2. Those who talk to the rock report an answer forming in their minds.

3. Talking to the rock will calm you.

4. Talking to the rock will bring you peace.

5. What else is there to do while staring down at it?

6. Follow the leader…people have talked to the rock since the mid-1700s.

7. No one can hack your brain. Leave your confidential discussion with the rock instead of the internet.

8. You can trust the rock to never repeat your thoughts.

9. Your secrets will be there forever…at least for another 600 million years.

10. To win money!

Upload your video here.