Emma Watson nude photo threat was a marketing stunt

The Emma Watson nude photo threat appears to have been the work of a viral marketing firm calling itself Rantic.com.

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The ominous threat first appeared on4chanover the weekend, sometime after the British actorand UN Women's goodwill ambassador launched her HeForShe campaign for gender equality at the United Nations in New York City.

The threat linked to a website titled Emma You Are Next featuring acountdown clock ticking down to a suggested nude photo reveal within a number of days.

In the early hours of Wednesday, the sinister notice was replaced. Instead, the URL redirects to Rantic.com, a mysterioussocial media marketing company and its campaign to shut down 4chanthe image-sharing site at thecentre of a number of recent celebrity nude photo leaks.

"None of these women deserve this," reads Rantic.com's splash page. "[A]nd together we can make a change."

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It's not clear who is behind Rantic, or ifthe Harry Potter star is participating in the campaign, but a strongly wordedstatement on the supposed marketing firm's website claims celebrity backing.

Massive media pickup

"We have been hired by celebrity publicists to bring this disgusting issue to attention," reads a messageaddressed to U.S. President Barack Obama.

"The recent 4chan celebrity nude leaks in the past 2 months have been an invasion of privacy and is also clear indication that the internet NEEDS to be censored."

The campaign encourages visitors to send a letterto the White House demanding government action over the nude celebrity photo leaks.

Whether the stunt can generate government action is yet to be seen, but the internetpranksters are already claiming a viral victory.

Ranticsays itsWatson stunt spawned massive social mediapickup, generating 48 million visitors andsevenmillion Facebook shares in a few short days.