The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, July 18, edition that Canadian marketers are having a
bad summer when it comes to
orchestrating stunts.
The Globe's Susan Krashinsky writes that last week, Molson Coors Canada
apologized after a scavenger
hunt promotion in Toronto for
its Coors Light brand led to a
call to authorities about a suspicious
package. The call resulted
in rerouted streetcars and commuter
delays. Molson said it had
worked with authorities before
the campaign to avoid this kind
of alarm.
This week, another marketer
also rose public alarm. BCE's Bell
Media had a misstep with an ill-fated
prank video about a shark
sighting in Lake Ontario. The
video was actually part of a promotion
for Discovery Canada's
"Shark Week" programming and
its sponsor, Nissan. According to
Bell Media, during Shark Week a
Nissan-sponsored series intended
to ask, "Could sharks surface
in the Great Lakes?" The network
said it did not expect people
to take the video seriously.
However, those who were fooled are
among those who feel that the
now all-too-common trend of
prank advertising has jumped
the shark.
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