Watch_Dogs PR stunt causes Ninemsn office evacuation

[Skiver Veteran]

Watch Dogs' publisher has apologised after a publicity stunt for the video game backfired, causing an office evacuation and the deployment of an Australian bomb squad.

Ubisoft had sent a copy of the game inside a safe that beeped when staff at news site Ninemsn tried to open it.

The Sydney-based journalists became concerned when they called other newsrooms and found none had received a similar delivery.

The site does not cover video games.

Source and Full Article

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

Ooops

[neoadorable]

Common sense seems to be less and less common. This is what happens when you hire public relations teams that don't know anything about your product or your contacts. These Ninemsn people don't even cover gaming, the lady journalist apparently never even heard of Watch Dogs.

[Skiver Veteran]

The worst thing is, this isn't the first time a marketing stunt in this area hasn't gone a bit wrong either! A few years ago they had someone pretend to hold up people with a fake gun!

 

 

An incredibly ill-conceived publicity stunt forSplinter Cell: Conviction went wildly wrong over the weekend as police were called, warnings were issued and at least one "actor" came away lucky that he didn't get pounded into goo by an irate mob.

Patrons outside the Degree bar in Auckland, New Zealand got a bit of a shock when a man with bandaged hands showed up, pulled a gun and started threatening people with it. People were shouting, diving behind tables and were "pretty terrified," according to manager Steph Kurtovich.

Full Article

[watkinsx2]

Common sense seems to be less and less common. This is what happens when you hire public relations teams that don't know anything about your product or your contacts. These Ninemsn people don't even cover gaming, the lady journalist apparently never even heard of Watch Dogs.

 

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[Dutchie64]

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Why so surprised??

 

Not everybody is a boy in his teens, craving the latest video game ;-P

[watkinsx2]

Why so surprised??

 

Not everybody is a boy in his teens, craving the latest video game ;-P

 

 

That's a lot of stereotyping there...

[neoadorable]

That's a lot of stereotyping there...

 

I think he was joking...

 

Either way, these people with these publicity stunts that any half-sensible person would consider too risky...who the hell sends a ticking package in the 21st century after all that's happened?

 

The worst thing is, this isn't the first time a marketing stunt in this area hasn't gone a bit wrong either! A few years ago they had someone pretend to hold up people with a fake gun!

 

Full Article

 

Or this. That takes retarded to entirely new levels. Who even thinks these things up? Those make the torso Techland sent to promote Dead Island Riptide look very tame, even the Sony goat sacrifice seems normal by comparison

[Guest]

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Why is this so surprising?

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

That Splinter Cell PR stunt completely passed me by. What a stupid move :no: Watch_Dogs is no better :/

[Dutchie64]

I think he was joking...

 

I was semi joking, hence the smiley. ;-)

 

But people have to understand -other- people may not have -any- interest in other peoples hobbies. And also don't pay -any- attention to advertising for games or whatever you fancy.

 

Me personally don't find the shooter/driving/violence riddled etc. games very interesting, so I don't really follow any news on that.

[neoadorable]

I was semi joking, hence the smiley. ;-)

 

But people have to understand -other- people may not have -any- interest in other peoples hobbies. And also don't pay -any- attention to advertising for games or whatever you fancy.

 

Me personally don't find the shooter/driving/violence riddled etc. games very interesting, so I don't really follow any news on that.

 

Understood and agreed, wasn't surprised the girl didn't know about Watch Dogs, she's a journalist who covers a thousand other topics and happens to have no interest in games...this is more than fine. I was surprised the morons Ubi hired sent her of all people that beeping package. Why was she on their PR list anyway? Did they also send a copy to the United Pacificists and Vegans Weekly?

 

And even who was the courier? Didn't it occur to them to say "hey maybe a beeping black box isn't such a good idea for packaging in this day and age"