Guerrilla Marketing Strikes Again
This advertising hoax was submitted by Andrea Natella, Rome, Italy, 24th September 2007:
In only two months, Petal Veil has captured the attention of the press and the interest of millions of Italian Internet users as the guru of well-being and self-care. The truth is Petal Veil is a custom-made personality, and through his “Minimal Beauty” philosophy he has connected to thousands of Lines customers.
He has presented himself to the Italian public as an international star and the guru of well-being. He has met thousands of girls across Italy. His videos ended up on the front page of major Italian web sites and countless newspapers dedicated him hundreds of articles. Petal Veil is really a masquerade created by Lines (the Italian name for P&G’s line of feminine hygiene products known as Always®).
$300 Billion Dollar Belgian Waffle
Disgruntled voter puts Belgium on eBay
by Paul Ames
Associated Press
September 18, 2007
Brussels “” Hidden among the porcelain fox hounds and Burberry tablecloths on sale at eBay.be this week was an unusual item: “For Sale: Belgium, a Kingdom in three parts … free premium: the king and his court (costs not included).”
The odd ad was posted by one disgruntled Belgian in protest at his country’s political crisis, which reached a 100-day landmark on Tuesday with no end in sight to the squabbling between Flemish and Walloon politicians.
“I wanted to attract attention,” said Gerrit Six, the teacher and former journalist who posted the ad. “You almost have to throw a rock through a window to get attention for Belgium.”
Six placed the advertisement on Saturday, offering free delivery, but pointing out that the country was coming secondhand and that potential buyers would have to take on over $300 billion in national debt.
…However, the company decided to pull the ad Tuesday after receiving a bid of $14 million. [Said a company spokesperson,] “We decided to take it down, just to avoid confusion.” Read the rest of the story here.
Photo: Aawaara Sajde
Chupacabra? Next Week’s T-Shirts Will Be Unicorns
Has a Mythical Beast Turned Up in Texas?
by Elizabeth White
September 1, 2007
Cuero, Texas (AP) — Phylis Canion lived in Africa for four years. She’s been a hunter all her life and has the mounted heads of a zebra and other exotic animals in her house to prove it. But the roadkill she found last month outside her ranch was a new one even for her, worth putting in a freezer hidden from curious onlookers: Canion believes she may have the head of the mythical, bloodsucking chupacabra.
“It is one ugly creature,” Canion said, holding the head of the mammal, which has big ears, large fanged teeth and grayish-blue, mostly hairless skin. Continue reading “Chupacabra? Next Week’s T-Shirts Will Be Unicorns”
Freeze Your Butt For Global Warming
Hundreds of naked people pose in front of the Aletsch glacier during a massive naked photo session with U.S. photographer Spencer Tunick, near Bettmeralp, Switzerland, Saturday Aug. 18, 2007. The environmental group Greenpeace commissioned Tunick to take pictures of nude volunteers on a Swiss glacier to call attention to the issue of global warming and its impact on glaciers.
Photo: Laurent Gillieron, AP/Keystone