UPDATE: In 2007 I blogged about Bulletproof baby- what I thought was a company that made actual Bulletproof baby gear and infant safety protection. Even then I thought it seemed absurd, I didn't make the leap to the fact that it was part of a marketing rouse (nor did slashgear, gawker, metro uk and many other sites and bloggers) for a then soon to be released film.
Since then it has come to light, that the entire site, the products and the wildly shocking video were all part of a 'viral' marketing plan for what must have been an awful film called Shoot 'Em Up starring Clive Owens, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci that was released in 2007.
the plot synosis: A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen. The movie promised a lot of shooting (at one point Clive Owen even shoots the umbilical cord off a newborn).
Sadly, the site, the viral marketing video (the video shown below in which a mother is firing an automatic weapon at her baby clad in a bulletproof stroller) and the products within are far more interesting than the film turned out to be. See for yourself.
My post as it ran 2 years ago (now with a few parentheticals and addendums):
Can only afford a house in a not-so-safe neighborhood? Afraid to raise kids in a geographic area that's got a safety rating of 2? Fear no more! Bulletproof Baby Gear is here. The following products are not a joke, and what blows me away (pardon the pun) is that almost everything is out of stock.
Need a bullet proof stroller? Cost is $599.00 and it's sold out.
How about a Baby Flak Vest (seen below)? $70 and sold out.
Baby's first gas mask? My First Gas Mask runs $264.00 and is out of stock.
How about a riot helmet, a shield?
My first D4-55 riot helmet:
a Bullet proof crib? Yep, they're all sold out.
The toddler taser:
Watch them shoot up the baby stroller in their demo video (now uncovered to be a viral marketing ploy):
They also have some fun and well designed logos (see below) for the faux company and you can buy real merchandise from them at their cafepress store here.
The founders:
The 'now known to be phony' story behind the company:
Welcome to Bullet Proof Baby Industries, the baby protection specialists. I'm Stella Stevenson, Founder and CEO of BPB Industries. I've been an industrial designer all my life, and decided to establish 'bullet proof baby' when my first son, Randy, was nearly killed in a drive by shooting in 2004.----Stella & Brian
When stray bullets hit the pram but narrowly missed my son, I realized there was a gap in the market for a range of products to protect babies in today's increasingly violent society. Since founding the business in 2005, we've gone from strength to strength, adding new products to our line, and winning awards for our product design innovations. Please note that due to recent events, demand for some of our products has been high and as a result some may be temporarily out of stock. Make sure you check back soon! Make your baby safer today, with Bullet Proof Baby industries.
I had never heard of the movie written and directed by Michael Davis (perhaps you did?) despite it starring 2 of my favorite male actors and was put out by New Line Cinema.
see bullet proof baby here.
learn more about the movie here
Other Phony Viral Sites:
POMEGRANATE PHONE
Another viral marketing rouse that has continued to fool the public and garner a great deal of attention,is that of the faux Pomegranate Phone. I am still amazed how many of my readers write to me requesting the price or where they can purchase it.
TATTOO YOUR HEART
And then there was this phony site and service to promote a new music release from Vikunju, promising to tattoo your actual beating heart:
