When I'm In Your Neighborhood, You Better Duck

January 9, 2006 2:16 PM

pwned!Old lady vs. man in a Mercedes. (Google video)
posted by fandango_matt (45 comments total)

Pretty funny even if it's not real. And it may actually be real.
posted by brain_drain at 2:20 PM on January 9, 2006

*snort*
posted by notsnot at 2:23 PM on January 9, 2006

I was expecting to hate this. So glad I was wrong! Go, grandma!
posted by Robot Johnny at 2:23 PM on January 9, 2006

It's an Ikea ad.
posted by Keith Talent at 2:23 PM on January 9, 2006

What KT said.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:24 PM on January 9, 2006

It's been pretty well debunked. The airbag deploys too slowly, in real life they explode with a lot more force than that. Also, it should take a 25mph collision with a solid object to cause an airbag to deploy.
posted by knave at 2:24 PM on January 9, 2006

Why would a bunch of skater kids just randomly decide to film an old lady crossing the road and happen to know to hold focus just as she hits the bumper?
posted by Pollomacho at 2:25 PM on January 9, 2006

Damn you for being quiker with google than me, monju_bosatsu
posted by Keith Talent at 2:25 PM on January 9, 2006

Damn it. I should've known that was too good to be true.
posted by fandango_matt at 2:26 PM on January 9, 2006

Actually, there's another old lady who hacked into viralchart.com and faked that entry so you'd think it was done by Ikea. Joke's on you guys, SUCKERS.
posted by Wataki at 2:28 PM on January 9, 2006

Longer version here with Ikea logo. Nice piece of viral marketing though, and the Ikea site it references is also pretty cool.
posted by unSane at 2:32 PM on January 9, 2006

What is the point of making viral ads like this? There isn't even an Ikea product being featured. Does anyone know what's supposed to make these types of things an effective means of advertising?
posted by saraswati at 2:35 PM on January 9, 2006

Oops. Didn't see unSane's link until after I posted. Didn't know it had been edited.
posted by saraswati at 2:35 PM on January 9, 2006

If you spilled Pepsi Blue on this sofa, would it blend in?


posted by Rothko at 2:36 PM on January 9, 2006

Pollomacho: "Why would a bunch of skater kids just randomly decide to film an old lady crossing the road and happen to know to hold focus just as she hits the bumper?"

You can hear the convertible screech to a stop in the background so the cameraman and skater kids turn to look. The lady's asleep on her feet and the driver needs to honk her back to consciousness. This is why.
posted by Evstar at 2:37 PM on January 9, 2006

the problem with viral ads like this is that we're the ones who are pwned.
posted by crunchland at 2:39 PM on January 9, 2006

While we're on the topic of viral marketing…
posted by Firas at 2:50 PM on January 9, 2006

Is that just a clip from an Ikea ad?

I didn't see anything there to do with a company at all?

(not arguing that it's astroturf, just wondering how it's related to an ad)
posted by C.Batt at 2:52 PM on January 9, 2006

The problem with viral Google Video ads like this is that mathowie set a precedent.
posted by rxrfrx at 2:55 PM on January 9, 2006

MeFiral.
posted by Mr Bluesky at 2:57 PM on January 9, 2006

C.Batt, you might want to follow all the explanatory links everyone else in the thread has bothered to click on.

And that fake visa ad is hilarious.
posted by Hildegarde at 3:01 PM on January 9, 2006

*runs to Ikea, buys couch*
posted by pieisexactlythree at 3:01 PM on January 9, 2006

What is the point of making viral ads like this?

I think you answered your own question by asking/discussing/thinking about said ad/product/company... That's the viral ad theory, anyway.
posted by jca at 3:04 PM on January 9, 2006

Nothing wrong with posting an ad if the ad part is edited out.
posted by ryanissuper at 3:09 PM on January 9, 2006

I love it how the spoof MasterCard ad even says "MasterCard" at the end and yet it's still refered to as a "Visa" spoof ad on both Google Videos and here on MeFi. I guess the attempt at MasterCard as branding themselves as the card you use for "everything else" hasn't totally worked and it's become an generic "credit card" thing.
posted by skynxnex at 3:09 PM on January 9, 2006

I suddenly have the strangest urge to buy crappy furnature that isn't sturdy enough to move around my house.
posted by Citizen Premier at 3:10 PM on January 9, 2006

The point of brand marketing is mindshare. Not to specifically make you go out and buy stuff. It makes you think, ah, these Ikea people are cool. They get it. They share my sense of humour. Maybe their products are not the same mass-produced horseshit you get at Walmart. Of course, they are, only in a different way, but this is what they hope you will think.
posted by unSane at 3:11 PM on January 9, 2006

I pwn a violin!
posted by zaelic at 3:11 PM on January 9, 2006

Bang on, unSane. There was an article in Wired some time ago about how you can go into a Starbucks, make a playlist from their database of music, and burn yourself a cd that Starbucks then sells to you. In the article they were discussing how a coffee place gets into the music burning business: they're not coffee sellers. They're atmosphere sellers, so music is a natural fit.

I bet Ikea has had a similar internal conversation.
posted by Hildegarde at 3:27 PM on January 9, 2006

I can see Ronaldinho hitting the crossbar 4 times in the bushes behind the car.

Anyone who believed this was real needs to see a doctor.
posted by fire&wings at 3:40 PM on January 9, 2006

Eh, Ikea stuff is mass produced, but it's not really "shit". I'm not going to run out and hire artisans to build my furniture for me. (Although I would if I could)
posted by delmoi at 3:48 PM on January 9, 2006

One dollar breakfasts. End of arguement.
posted by Keith Talent at 3:55 PM on January 9, 2006

One dollar breakfasts. End of arguement.

Yeah, but does it come with a free hex key and indecipherable pictographic assembly instructions?
posted by loquacious at 4:10 PM on January 9, 2006

There would have been more yelling and such if it were real.
posted by benATthelocust at 4:29 PM on January 9, 2006

unSane and Hildegarde are spot on. These companies don't sell products anymore, they sell brands, and following that, ideas, opinions and lifestyles. Coca cola don't even employ many people, they just sell the idea. People don't buy the product: they buy the idea. Why would anyone want a zippo lighter? Because they are cool. Clever branding did that. Same for smoking, to a degree (plus it's addictive).
posted by Acey at 4:41 PM on January 9, 2006

Why would anyone want a zippo lighter?
Because generic Zippo-style lighters are absolute crap. Sometimes the name brand really is better.
posted by Jawn at 4:58 PM on January 9, 2006

Personally, I could give a shit about these clips being ads of any stripe- they're funny.

How much money do you guys figure is in this?
posted by stackmonster at 7:55 PM on January 9, 2006

Really, who cares if it is Ikea or not. It is hilarious. Brand identity, yes, but at least they are using a genuinely funny message with general appeal.. appealing message like this.. Far better than the typical brand marketing messages like "we are cool you need us to be cool (show star doing something -super- cool with our product) Cool. BRAND!" !1!!
posted by SpookyFish at 8:11 PM on January 9, 2006

In Europe, IKEA 's carefully-crafted customer-experience policies have actually transformed the business into an ersatz social centre and low-rent safety-net.

In 2004 the Swedish company, with its 37 restaurants, managed to reach 11th place in the list of the best-earning eateries in Germany.

Unsurprisingly, twits soon subverted the system, using IKEA's supervised playrooms as unpaid daycare.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 8:21 PM on January 9, 2006

This was funny.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 9:11 PM on January 9, 2006

About as funny as a case of AIDS. Yawn.
posted by Debaser626 at 9:29 PM on January 9, 2006

Thanks for your interest in Google Video.

Currently, the playback feature of Google Video isn't available in your country.

We hope to make this feature available more widely in the future, and we really appreciate your patience.

posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:50 PM on January 9, 2006

That IKEA site sucks! They wanted to introduce me to new products, but couldn't seem to get around to it.
posted by OmieWise at 5:25 AM on January 10, 2006

I'm rushed for time so I'll just quote myself. ;)
The movie called Roadrage was shot by Måns Nilsson and Valdemar Westesson in Malmö... Now, it might just be me, but what does the "what if.." idea have to do with anything? I'll see your "what if" and raise you a "wtf was that about?"
posted by dabitch at 7:12 AM on January 10, 2006

What made it fake to me was the way the cameraman zoomed in flawlessly on the driver after the airbag deployed.
posted by smackfu at 7:47 AM on January 10, 2006