Great Experiential Marketing: Syfy channel’s killer shark prank

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In a bid to get people talking about gory film ‘Sharknado 2: The Second One’, Syfy pranked shoppers in a London fishmonger with an animatronic killer shark.

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Syfy organised for a team of artists to create the Animatronic Shark, which was then rooted onto a counter in a London fishmonger, seemingly lifeless. In line with the narrative of the film, in which killer sharks terrorise New York after a freak weather system floods the city, the stunt gave customers quite the shock when the shark lunged at customers as they passed by.
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Very much embracing the current ‘prankvertising’ concept, Syfy’s realistic killer shark created a memorable live experience and resulted in a nice viral video.

To capture the (priceless) reactions of the public, cameras were placed in strategic locations throughout the shop.

You’ve got to love the elderly lady totally unfazed by the whole affair… 

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If you love a good experiential marketing prank, you might also enjoy Samsung’s Giant Dishwasher Prank, where nosy passers-by were trapped in a giant dishwasher.  Or check out WATCH_DOGS’ Street Hack Prank where shoppers were made to believe they’d hacked into the city’s systems.  And take a look at National Geographic’s Terrifying Crocodile Ad, where it looked like a crocodile was waiting for commuters at the bottom of the escalator.


Author bio

GLOBAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR

With nearly 30 years of marketing experience, both client and agency side, I’ve acquired a rare perspective on brands and business: I believe you have to challenge things creatively if you want to grow sales. Consumer technology is reshaping our world, and it’s only the great brands that stay on the crest.