TV manufacturer LG took an unconventional route to promote its new Ultra HD TV. To demonstrate how realistic its picture is, members of LG Chile installed an Ultra in the wall of one of their offices to make it realistically resemble a window. When LG brought interviewees into the office, they looked on in horror as the TV played simulated footage of a meteor crashing into the ground nearby. The combination of high-def images and sound is – apparently – so realistic that each of the four interviewees freaks out, panicking and screaming as they see what they think is their city being destroyed. Screams, curses, and many fetal positions ensued until LG revealed it was all a joke. The video has already garnered over 3 million hits on YouTube in just a few days!
The commercial is the latest in a trend known as “prankvertising.” Advertisers have been scrambling to out-do each other with elaborate, arguably sadistic scenarios designed to shock the viewers and go viral. Critics of shock ads say they pose real concerns. What if one of the subjects has a heart attack? What if viewers are totally turned off by the extreme tactics employed by the advertiser? They also question whether the ads translate to increased sales.
“People have no idea if it helps generate sales,” said Christopher Heine of Adweek. “That said, it does generate publicity and brands can only hope that the publicity would be positive and not negative. Prankvertising involves using marketing stunts or tactics which enable the brand to break through the clutter, confusion and complexity of modern media to titillate consumers and generate free media coverage. Prankvertising has been in existence for a long time now it is only now that marketers have realized the potential of the medium in generating word of mouth and earned media.