The Next Generation of Advertising: Prankvertising
In MarketingHere’s the deal: EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO VIRAL.
If you have a video that goes viral, you get free advertising from people sending your ad or video to all of their friends at work.
Who wouldn’t want that?
When Youtube was in it’s relative infancy, viral videos just happened, but the culture is changing. Advertisers have realized that there is a way to create viral video and promote the brands they represent at the same time.
We call these “Marketing Stunts,” but some places have deemed them prankvertising as many of the purposely viral videos are centered around pranks on innocent bystanders.
As with all advertising, this has been done well and not so well…and to many different extremes.
Prankvertising done well:
TNT’s Push to Add Drama
This is fun, interesting and exciting, and it makes sense in promoting TNT’s Drama.
Jeff Gordon’s Pepsi Max Test Drive
This one is high energy and interesting, and honestly something more than a few of us have fantasized about.
Prankvertising Too Far?
Drunk Driving Scare
This one has gotten a lot of flack for being too in your face and outright scaring people. While many may say that’s the point, we think it might be a bit too far.