Clever ad

[GreyGeek]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/JHixeIr_6BM

[Feathers McGraw]

That's very clever. I'm assuming that the location based broadcaster thing they used is something similar to Apple's bluetooth "iBeacon"?

[GreyGeek]

Ya got me. All I use is a flip phone and I do not accept or send text messages.

[MoonRise]

Boy! If that doesn't make you think! Cleaver indeed!

[whatthefunk]

I dont see how they could send a text to everybody in the room...

[Feathers McGraw]

I dont see how they could send a text to everybody in the room...

That's why I was asking about the iBeacon thing, it's basically a Bluetooth message. Apple uses it in their stores to give you location specific information, e.g. deals on accessories if you're standing near the accessories isle.

From what i remember, the functionality is part of their iTunes store app (whatever it's called).

There are implementations for android etc. too, the name iBeacon is just for apple's implementation.

[SteveRiley]

Remember, folks, we are not watching a video recorded by an individual person "on the inside" of some prank. Instead, we are watching an advertisement created by Volkswagen. The whole thing is staged. Everyone's an actor, the equipment used to send the message was just a prop, audience members were following a script that indicated precisely when to reach for their phones, and the ring tones were added in post-processing. There are too many camera angles and cunning over-the-shoulder motions for this to be anything other than a pure piece of (very effective) produced messaging. It's also obviously rehearsed. Check out the moment where that one dude seat-dances when the driver starts the music -- at the same moment when a camera just happens to be pointed at him. Further considering this dude, here's the cinema the ad claims to be shot in. A place that far deep into Kowloon is unlikely to have nearly the percentage of whites among the population that the ad suggests -- further evidence that the audience members were recruited by the agency and hired for the shot. Oh, and why are all the printed words ("unsuspecting movie goers," "location-based broadcaster," etc.) in only English? That's an especially curious tidbit.

Automotive News reports that the ad was produced for use in China, because texting and driving is apparently a major problem there. It's curious to consider why VW chose to use a Hong Kong cinema to produce the work, rather than a Chinese one. Chinese young people may not react like we'd hope, becuase they may think, "Hah, that's only a problem in Hong Kong." I would also wonder how effective this ad would be if were shown in Hong itself, because the vast majority of people there don't even drive -- public transit is pervasive.

It's been a long time since I've been to a cinema in Hong Kong. I don't recall popcorn bags that looked like those we use here in America. But I can say that the amount of pre-movie advertising in Hong Kong and Singapore is apalling. I would routinely wait until 20 minutes after showtime to actually arrive and take a seat.

Check this out -- apparently VW's ad agency stole the idea from some else, who offered a similar public service announcement idea in Belgium five years prior.

[oshunluvr]

Whaaaaaaatt? Tee Vee ain't real? Say it ain't so, Steve, say it ain't so! roflmao

[GreyGeek]

Wow! Was it deliberate theft or ignorance? The idea is not so esoteric that it would be impossible for more than one person (ordinary yeoman) to think it up.