SEE THE CAT COMMERCIAL
This is an example of "viral marketing." It's sinister as hell. It's when an ad company creates a twisted little promotion specifically designed to bypass the mainstream and penetrate the subculture and be spread by word of mouth and word of e-mail, and everyone forwards it on to their friends and family and says oh my God you've got to see this hilarious video oh my God it's so funny/sick/horrible/twisted oh my God click here now. And Ford and the ad company cheer and applaud and grin malevolently.
Viral ads are everywhere. They hit your in-box all the time. They are a favorite of bloggers and 'zines and metafilters. There are hundreds. Maybe more. It's a hugely popular marketing segment. The ads often become enormous cult hits. The agencies often encourage users to download the video and never bat an eye when fans post them all over the Net without copyright permission. This, again, is the point.
Except this time, there's a twist. There is, of course, an outcry. Animal rights groups are furious. Ford is pretending to be aghast. Even Ogilvy & Mather is claiming ignorance. Ford has issued a formal statement of denial and disgust wink wink nudge. Ogilvy & Mather has released a formal statement of we have no idea how the hell this happened hee hee titter.
Read the whole article here.
Want to see a cute spoof on Goodwill Hunting? Click here!
