Top 3 Corporate Pranks of 2009 A comedy article
by Johnny Plankton 799 5 01/04/2010 06:01 PM 2080 views
Let's face it. Most of the pranks played by corporations on the public are a little bit ... evil. Gas price gouging, rolling blackouts, health insurance companies telling customers "Sorry, we don't cover that kind of heart attack." But then there are the intentionally funny ones, such as the Top 3 Corporate Pranks of 2009 below:
1. Latvian Meteorite Hoax
Swedish-based telecommunications company Tele2 decided to "take the world's mind off how crappy the sad little country of Latvia's economy is" (loose Swedish to English translation) by cleverly staging an apparent meteorite crash in Northern Latvia. Apparently, the Swedes were not aware of A) how little the world thinks about Latvia or its economy, and B) what a terrible idea it might be to bring this to anyone's attention. [Read the full story here.]
The pranksters dug a 27-foot wide, 9-foot deep hole in a remote area, dumped in a bunch of really flammable chemicals, and lit 'em up. Fire and rescue trucks (and the obligatory scientist) showed up, initially reporting that a meteor had apparently struck.
Martians apparently leave quickly after seeing Latvian women, economy
But like many things that look much crappier in the light of day, the same scientist realized that it was a hoax by the next morning. The Swedish telecom company 'fessed up, issuing the PR spin of the year:
"As we can see, with this, Latvia made the news all over the world, everyone wants to know about Latvia, and this is not because of the crisis, the hard times and so, but because there is something creative and exciting happening here. It is a unique achievement and part of our communication," said Tele2 spokeswoman Vita Sirica in a silly, stammering Swedish accent.
Yes. We know exactly what you mean. There's nothing more interesting to the world than a big Frost-ing hole in the ground that wasn't caused by a meteor.
Latvian Interior Minister Linda Murniece was not quite so thrilled, accusing Tele2 of a "cynical mockery," and announcing that the Government would cancel its contract with Tele2.
Reports that the spokesperson and the entire PR department of Tele2 were buried alive in the hole by starving Latvian villagers could not be confirmed at press time.
2. The MegaWoosh Prank
When you think "funny pranks," isn't Germany the first country you think of?
Neither does anybody else. But Microsoft Germany was responsible for the one of the great viral videos of the year (nearly four million YouTube views alone). In the clip, a guy goes careening down an enormous slip 'n slide, launches off a ski jump, flies a long way through the air, and crash lands in a kiddie pool.
For those of you wondering what this has to do with Microsoft products, just remember: it ends with a crash.
When performing stunts for Microsoft, always wear a crash helmet and safety harness. That goes for using their products, also. [Read how they made the video here.]
3. Guardian UK Goes to Twitter-Only Format
Stodgy Brits and other uptight folks who insist on having stuff like "verifiable facts" and "truthful reporting" in their newspapers were horrified by the latest newspaper casualty to technology, as the venerable paper announced their exclusive switch to Twitter, after 188 years of print.
No more housebreaking Fluffy with world headlines, as Guardian says goodbye to print
The paper also announced that they would begin Twitterizing their archives, publishing examples of historic stories such as:
"OMG Hitler invades Poland, allies declare war see tinyurl.com/b5x6e for more"
"JFK assassin8d @ Dallas, def. heard second gunshot from grassy knoll WTF?"
Read the full story here, which ran on April 1, 2009. It's funny even without video or fart jokes.
A spokesperson for Corporate Prank Advisors, Inc., a prank consulting firm, says he expects companies to get back to their usual "bottom line pranks" in 2010. "You know, mercilessly screwing the consumers," he said.
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