Viral Ad Woes

Are viral ads deceptive? Sure, but aren't they also entertaining? This clip was one of my favorites when I was in High school. I showed a ton of my friends because I thought it was an ingenious idea. I remember when this released and people believed it was real. When MTV posted an article about how Activision creating this ad, there was a huge public back-lashing. People immediately discredited the video and starting talking about how bad it was.

This made me think that these people were simply overcompensating for being tricked. No one enjoys being told they were deceived. But Activision did it in a way that really brought us closer to their brand. They showed a committed fan and his friends making a video that showed guitar hero in a new light, and I think that it sparked a real discussion about the upcoming game.


In the end I think people should view viral ads as a experience, not a lie. The agency tries to immerse you into the brand by pretending to be just another fan, but they are actually stimulating discussion. This can lead to a lot of entertaining content, and come on, its better than watching an ad talking about the new tracks in the game and how it is better than rock band.