It’s not often we fall for the viral marketing tricks of the big publishers. Indeed, viral marketing in recent years has become pretty lame and tired, with publishers just tacking it onto the end of marketing campaigns, often as an afterthought to eat up any remaining marketing budget.
So it was with genuine shock that we received these two videos purporting to be adverts for the forthcoming Reservoir Dogs game from Eidos. Shock, because, well, they are genuinely scandalous, appalling and outrageous. Kind of like what a good viral ad is meant to be.
The first ad is a take on the opening scene from the movie, but instead of the hoodlums talking around the table, we see a sweet, white-haired old granny, regaling her cherub-faced grandchildren with the story of what Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ is
really about. Which, if you're unaware of the film's opening dialogue, starts with the following query:
Now, what the fuck was I talkin' about?
In this instance, with the words coming from an old dear's mouth, and spoken to minors, you just have to look. Check it out via the links below. SPOnG’s jaw is still on the floor. We’re told there’s another one doing the rounds, so we’ll update you on that as soon as we get it. SPOnG expects the mainstream press outrage machine has been well and truly fired up and we look forward to seeing tomorrow's Daily Mail headlines!
MPEG4 XviD (3.8MB)
Quicktime (3.8MB)
Windows Media (3.5MB)
The second ad is a take-off of the three-way stand-off from the movie, with the children armed with guns pointing at their dad and swearing a lot. Indeed, perhaps the most controversial aspect of this is actually seeing the young children say 'fuck' a lot. If anything, this is what is going to rile the Daily Mail crowd.
MPEG4 XviD (1.3MB)
Quicktime (1.4MB)
Windows Media (1.2MB)
And yes, of course it is ‘wrong’. But then, so is Wife Swap. SPOnG is currently adrift in a moral vacuum. Our children are surely doomed...
Check the virals out and let us know your thoughts in the forum, motherfuckers!