When I was in high school there were a number of people who were caught “rolling” a house. It didn’t go well for them. But now, you can virtually “roll” famous landmarks courtesy of Cheetos and their virtual prank site. And I did just that with Charleston’s Old Exchange Building.
Prankvertising is on a roll
Brands are discovering humor and promoting their qualities in new ways.
Not to be left in the dark, Toys R Us delighted a bus load of kids with their “field trip.” (Click to view video on YouTube.)
Stunts and pranks have always been big in the United States. When I was a kid, “Candid Camera” was a giant hit. In the years since there have been revisions of it and copycats. Taking advantage of the unsuspecting whether it is the soda pop test that both Coke and Pepsi have done (Max Headroom video)
time after time or the laundry soap swap on unsuspecting housewives, pranking in the name of your brand is popular.
Entrepreneur rounded up the most recent examples of prankvertising and asks, “What do you think? Is prankvertising a flash in the pan or something we’ll be seeing more of in 2014 and beyond?”
From where I sit, I think this is not going away, and like Flash Mobs, we’ll see more of it before we see less of it.
Would you use prankvertising to promote your brand?
