History Main / ConspiracyPlacement

* There was a UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheory that claimed an fake AlienInvasion would happen during the 2012 London Olympics, panicking everyone into a state of emergency and giving up our freedoms so that the [[OneWorldOrder New World Order]] could TakeOverTheWorld. The evidence? The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics#Logo logo]] can be rearranged to spell "ZION", and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics#Mascots mascot-things]] look like aliens.

* All of the front companies for the Wiki/SCPFoundation have initials that spell out "SCP", like "Soap from Corpses Products, Inc.".

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Dr. Doofenshmirtz's evil operation for some reason has its own jingle, sponsored a blimp in a racing event, has its own building with its name printed right on it in the downtown area, and several other buildings all branded with his company name or something like that, like "Doofenshmirtz Abandoned Annex Building-K", which sometimes even have their ''own'' jingles.

* In the ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead'' episode "Nothing to See", HumanoidAbomination stalker the Thistle Man pointedly asks the series' {{Narrator}} if she knows who he works for while gesturing to the word "Thistle" on his uniform polo, obliquely revealing himself as an agent of TheConspiracy that has ensnared the Narrator and her missing wife Alice, though he doesn't elaborate further on his employer's nature.

Conspiracy Placement is the tendency of fictional (and supposedly not-so-fictional) conspiracies to display hidden clues to their identity where they can be found by the heroes, like ProductPlacement only coming from an organization that by definition should be trying to ''avoid'' exposure. These clues are generally hidden well enough that they will not be spotted by the general public, but [[FridgeLogic you have to wonder what the point is of having such clues at all]]. Sometimes the story will try to justify the existence of these clues, for example by saying that finding them is a test to gain membership of the group, or a way for conspirators to identify each other, or more for the same reason serial killers leave clues for the cops, but more often it just seems to be showing off. In any case, one usually gets the impression that the best course of action would be to let the nebulous conspiracy run it's course, since they're obviously so full of BondVillainStupidity that it's only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses in on itself.

-->-- OnceAnEpisode [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJeBHiDOTPE jingle]] for the villain of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''.

-->-- OnceAnEpisode jingle for the villain of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''.

Also worth noting that Complexity Theory (aka Ramsey Theory) is a thing. It's at least as old as Chaos Theory and is the counterpart to it; it states that, given enough data, [[MIndScrew it is impossible for there not to be some kind of pattern to them]].

* Hydra does this in Season 2 of ''Series/AgentsOfShield''. [[spoiler: It's the reveal of where Simmons works...though, to be fair, this is at least only INSIDE the base.]]

** Of course, the good guys are just as bad at this. Take Perry; yes, secrecy is vitally important, and he goes to great lengths to hide his agent status from his family. But then, as [[spoiler: Phineas]] says "he has his own logo?!?"

->''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iebtccYzhzw "Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!"]]''

May overlap with SigilSpam if the logo placement becomes ''really'' excessive.

* The vampires in the ''Film/{{Blade}}'' movies use vampiric glyphs to mark their territory. The second movie show that they've learned something from Blade cutting them up en masse, as the glyphs are much better hidden, even invisible to the naked eye. Specifically, they are painted in ultraviolet colors (which vampires can see, but not humans).

* Hydra does this in Season 2 of Agents of Shield. [[spoiler: It's the reveal of where Simmons works...though, to be fair, this is at least only INSIDE the base.]]

* Pops up in many, ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'' variants:

* Not a conspiracy per se, but a surprising number of {{Transformers}} display their faction symbols in their alternate mode, which somewhat defeats the point of being robots in disguise. In the first wave of toys, most instead had "rubsigns", stickers that would reveal the symbol if warmed up by, for example, a human finger pressed on them.
** The versions from the live action movies could be looked at like this, as the emblem is hidden in a way that suits this trope, hiding them 'in plain sight' as it were. Barricade's police shields are the most obvious one. Prehaps the most hilarious one in the second movie, the cement truck has the Mack truck dog hood ornament, with its head distorted into a Decepticon emblem.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'': The Patriots use Conspiracy Placement as a type of security measure. Those under them(which includes most of the world's population by [=MGS4=]) are implanted with nanomachines that censor any mention of the Patriots' name into "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo".

[[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Individual conspiracies, however, are best speculated on elsewhere]].

->''"[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iebtccYzhzw Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!]]"''

ConspiracyPlacement is the tendency of fictional (and supposedly not-so-fictional) conspiracies to display hidden clues to their identity where they can be found by the heroes, like ProductPlacement only coming from an organization that by definition should be trying to ''avoid'' exposure. These clues are generally hidden well enough that they will not be spotted by the general public, but [[FridgeLogic you have to wonder what the point is of having such clues at all]]. Sometimes the story will try to justify the existence of these clues, for example by saying that finding them is a test to gain membership of the group, or a way for conspirators to identify each other, or more for the same reason serial killers leave clues for the cops, but more often it just seems to be showing off. In any case, one usually gets the impression that the best course of action would be to let the nebulous conspiracy run it's course, since they're obviously so full of BondVillainStupidity that it's only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses in on itself.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The Railroad in ''Fallout4'' posts "railsigns" showing the locations of allies, dead drops, and other important things.

This can be considered TruthInTelevision, for a very loose definition of "Truth". [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory If you look]] [[SharpshooterFallacy hard enough]] you can find [[TheIlluminati Illuminati]] [[http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/greatseal/ symbols everywhere]], or connect anyone you don't like to the number [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]. EpilepticTrees abound. There are [[ConspiracyTheorist those who actually believe]] that real undiscovered, world-controlling conspiracies do this. Though they mostly just "discover" such hidden messages through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia apophenia]], which is where people read connections and meaning into unconnected and meaningless things. This is best demonstrated by putting something like your own name or username through the sorts of processes seen in conspiracy theories or the [[MemeticMutation "Half Life 3 confirmed" meme]], such as by putting it through [[https://anagrammaker.com/ an online anagram generator]], converting letters to numbers and then consulting your local numerologist, or perhaps by putting it through some sort of cypher, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs feeding it through an anagram generator, and]] ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs then]]'' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs converting the letters to numbers and consulting your local numerologist]]. You won't believe how easy it is to read ''anything'' out of it.

This can be considered TruthInTelevision, for a very loose definition of "Truth". [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory If you look]] [[SharpshooterFallacy hard enough]] you can find [[TheIlluminati Illuminati]] [[http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/greatseal/ symbols everywhere]], or connect anyone you don't like to the number [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]. EpilepticTrees abound. There are [[ConspiracyTheorist those who actually believe]] that real undiscovered, world-controlling conspiracies do this. Though they mostly just "discover" such hidden messages through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia apophenia]], which is where people read connections and meaning into unconnected and meaningless things. This is best demonstrated by putting something like your own name or username through the sorts of processes seen in conspiracy theories or the [[MemeticMutation "Half Life 3 confirmed" meme]], such as by putting it through [[https://anagrammaker.com/ an online anagram generator]], converting letters to numbers and then consulting your local numerologist, or perhaps by putting it through some sort of cypher, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs feeding it through an anagram generator, and]] ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs then]]'' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs converting the letters to numbers and consulting your local numerologist]]. You won't believe how easy it is to read ''anything'' out of it. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Individual conspiracies, however, are best speculated on elsewhere]].

This can be considered TruthInTelevision, for a very loose definition of "Truth". [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory If you look]] [[SharpshooterFallacy hard enough]] you can find [[TheIlluminati Illuminati]] [[http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/greatseal/ symbols everywhere]], or connect anyone you don't like to the number [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]. EpilepticTrees abound. There are [[ConspiracyTheorist those who actually believe]] that real undiscovered, world-controlling conspiracies do this. Though they mostly just "discover" such hidden messages through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia apophenia]], which is where people read connections and meaning into unconnected and meaningless things. This is best demonstrated by putting something like your own name or username through the sorts of processes seen in conspiracy theories or the [[MemeticMutation "Half Life 3 confirmed" meme]], such as by putting it through [[https://anagrammaker.com/ an online anagram generator]]. You won't believe how easy it is to read ''anything'' out of it. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Individual conspiracies, however, are best speculated on elsewhere]].

This can be considered TruthInTelevision, for a very loose definition of "Truth". [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory If you look]] [[SharpshooterFallacy hard enough]] you can find [[TheIlluminati Illuminati]] [[http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/greatseal/ symbols everywhere]], or connect anyone you don't like to the number [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]. EpilepticTrees abound. There are [[ConspiracyTheorist those who actually believe]] that real undiscovered, world-controlling conspiracies do this. They mostly "discover" such hidden messages through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia apophenia]], which is where people read connections and meaning into unconnected and meaningless things. This is best demonstrated by putting something like your own name or username through the sorts of processes seen in conspiracy theories or the [[MemeticMutation "Half Life 3 confirmed" meme]], such as by putting it through [[https://anagrammaker.com/ an online anagram generator]]. You won't believe how easy it is to read ''anything'' out of it. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Individual conspiracies, however, are best speculated on elsewhere]].

This can be considered TruthInTelevision, for a very loose definition of "Truth". [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory If you look]] [[SharpshooterFallacy hard enough]] you can find [[TheIlluminati Illuminati]] [[http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/greatseal/ symbols everywhere]], or connect anyone you don't like to the number [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]. EpilepticTrees abound. There are [[ConspiracyTheorist those who actually believe]] that real undiscovered, world-controlling conspiracies do this. They mostly "discover" such hidden messages through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia apophenia]], which is where people read connections and meaning into unconnected and meaningless things. This is best demonstrated by putting something like your own name or username through the sorts of processes seen in conspiracy theories or the [[MemeticMutation "Half Life 3 confirmed" meme]], such as by putting it through [[https://anagrammaker.com/ an online anagram generator]]. You won't believe how easy it is to read ''anything'' out of it. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Individual conspiracies, howeve,r are best speculated on elsewhere]].

This can be considered TruthInTelevision, for a very loose definition of "Truth". [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory If you look]] [[SharpshooterFallacy hard enough]] you can find [[TheIlluminati Illuminati]] [[http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/greatseal/ symbols everywhere]], or connect anyone you don't like to the number [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]. EpilepticTrees abound. There are [[ConspiracyTheorist those who actually believe]] that real undiscovered, world-controlling conspiracies do this. They mostly "discover" such hidden messages through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia apophenia]]which is where people read connections and meaning into unconnected and meaningless things. This is best demonstrated by putting something like your own name or username through the sorts of processes seen in conspiracy theories or the [[MemeticMutation "Half Life 3 confirmed" meme]], such as by putting it through [[https://anagrammaker.com/ an online anagram generator]]. You won't believe how easy it is to read ''anything'' out of it. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Individual conspiracies, howeve,r are best speculated on elsewhere]].

ConspiracyPlacement is the tendency of fictional (and supposedly not-so-fictional) conspiracies to display hidden clues to their identity where they can be found by the heroes, like ProductPlacement only coming from an organization that by definition should be trying to ''avoid'' exposure. These clues are generally hidden well enough that they will not be spotted by the general public, but [[FridgeLogic you have to wonder what the point is of having such clues at all]]. Sometimes the story will try to justify the existence of these clues, for example by saying that finding them is a test to gain membership of the group, or a way for conspirators to identify each other, or more for the same reason serial killers leave clues for the cops, but more often it just seems to be showing off. In any case, one usually gets the impression that the best course of action would be to let the nebulous conspiracy run it's course, since they're obviously so full of BondVillainStupidity that it's only a matter of time before they do ''themselves'' in.

ConspiracyPlacement is the tendency of fictional (and supposedly not-so-fictional) conspiracies to display hidden clues to their identity where they can be found by the heroes, like ProductPlacement only coming from an organization that by definition should be trying to ''avoid'' exposure. These clues are generally hidden well enough that they will not be spotted by the general public, but [[FridgeLogic you have to wonder what the point is of having such clues at all]]. Sometimes the story will try to justify the existence of these clues, for example by saying that finding them is a test to gain membership of the group, or a way for conspirators to identify each other, but more often it just seems to be showing off.

This can be considered TruthInTelevision, for a very loose definition of "Truth". [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory If you look]] [[SharpshooterFallacy hard enough]] you can find [[TheIlluminati Illuminati]] [[http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/greatseal/ symbols everywhere]], or connect anyone you don't like to the number [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]. EpilepticTrees abound. There are [[ConspiracyTheorist those who actually believe]] that real undiscovered, world-controlling conspiracies do this. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We'll leave them to speculate about it elsewhere]].

ConspiracyPlacement is the tendency of fictional conspiracies to display hidden clues to their identity where they can be found by the heroes, like ProductPlacement only coming from an organization that by definition should be trying to ''avoid'' exposure. These clues are generally hidden well enough that they will not be spotted by the general public, but [[FridgeLogic you have to wonder what the point is of having such clues at all]]. Sometimes the story will try to justify the existence of these clues, for example by saying that finding them is a test to gain membership of the group, or a way for conspirators to identify each other, but more often it just seems to be showing off.

* The vampires in the ''Film/{{Blade}}'' movies use vampiric glyphs to mark their territory. The second movie show that they've learned something from Blade cutting them up en masse, as the glyphs are much better hidden, even invisible to the naked eye.

* In Isaac Asimov's ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'', members of Korellian SECRET Police wear tattoos that say "KSP". This somewhat works on Korell, because the tattoos are written with ink that doesn't shown unless under an ultraviolet light, which are rare on Korell (although it is still called out as a "naive method of secret identification"). [[spoiler: A Foundation ship, however, ''does'' have ultraviolet light sources, which reveals a supposed Foundation missionary to have been a KSP agent.]]
* VFD does this compulsively in ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents''.

* Played with in Alexey Pekhov's ''Pod Znakov Mantikory'' (Under Mantico Sign), in its very name and plot. The mantico sign appears on the site of a king's general murder, then protagonist finds a mantico jewelry on the necks of mooks who atacked him... [[spoiler:And then he discovers the real Mantico Order, and its members do not wear the sign at all.]]

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* ''ComicBook/TheInvisibles'' has a secondary character go on about occult imagery in ''Film/{{Speed}}'' and ''Film/PulpFiction'', taking it as a symbol that there are others out there who are on their side. The others don't take it so seriously.

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''Film/TheNet'' had clickable pi links on web pages. Clicking on one pretty much meant you would get hunted down by them. SchmuckBait at its finest. Though the point of them was that they would open up anything on the web, which meant [[EverythingIsOnline anything in the world]]. The bad guys just didn't like it when someone else tried one.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' are the epitome of this trope as the most conspicuous secret organization of all time. A now ex-Prime Minister in the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}}'s version of Great Britain knows about them, even though she's not supposed to, one of their staff orders pizza under the name "Torchwood" and the Cardiff division as a whole use an SUV with the word Torchwood written on the side, on the roof with bright neon yellow lettering and the initials TW on the front in red neon. Furthermore, at least one conspiracy theorist knows enough about Torchwood to recognize both their car and their staff on sight. As of ''Torchwood'' series 2, even a regular pensioner knows who they are. The fact that a ''Doctor Who'' episode set in the year 2012 reveals in passing that Torchwood is now a public institution due to its name being used in news broadcasts might constitute HilariousInHindsight as it speaks volumes of the organization's inability to keep a secret.
** However, even early on in the series they're shown as being officially recognised by the police. So it seems more likely that they're not actually trying to keep their entire existence secret, but merely exactly what it is they do.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Toys ]]

[[folder: TV Tropes Wiki ]]

* ''UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheory'', unsurprisingly.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Area 51}}'' plays with this one. A hidden document explains that the conspiracy hides these symbols everywhere precisely ''because'' anyone who thinks about it for a second will realise how stupid that is and dismiss the conspiracy theorists as raving crackpots.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]
* All of the front companies for the Wiki/SCPFoundation have initials that spell out "SCP", like "Soap from Corpses Products, Inc".
* In the ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead'' episode "Nothing to See," HumanoidAbomination stalker the Thistle Man pointedly asks the series' {{Narrator}} if she knows who he works for while gesturing to the word "Thistle" on his uniform polo, obliquely revealing himself as an agent of TheConspiracy that has ensnared the Narrator and her missing wife Alice, though he doesn't elaborate further on his employer's nature.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* In Isaac Asimov's ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'', members of Korellian SECRET Police wear tattoos that say "KSP". And then they wonder why their agent's disguise as a priest failed.