Viral Maketing Better Than Product: Bullet Proof Baby.

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.

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.

----Stella & Brian

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:

Technorati Profile

The Marriage is long over. What to do with that ring?

The stats tell us that 1 out of 3 marriages end in divorce. With very few exceptions, neither ex-spouse wants to keep the rings because of the negative memories.

What to do?

Jill Testa came up with an idea at of all places, a funeral! Today, she and her brother, Steve,
run weddingringcoffin.com, an online site that sells miniature caskets to display rings and symbolize a dead marriage.

The coffins are priced from $30 to $35, measure about 6 inches long and are made of solid wood with a dark mahogany finish and black velvet lining. A split lid allows for an open or closed casket. Also available are engraved brass plaques, with messages ranging from the hopeful — "Bury the past and move on" — to the cynical, "Six feet isn't deep enough!"

You can also provide your own message as one ex-husband did whose plaque read: "You should have learned to play golf."

via diamondvues.com

Betcha Haven't Seen A Pubic Hair Couture Show. Now You Can. Viral Video For Remington.

Well, after reading this and watching the accompanying video, you can say you have. The 2006 fashion show and video (shown below) was a viral marketing ploy for Remington (smart, huh?).



This viral video for Remington was directed by James Rouse at The Viral Factory. Editor was Justin Trovato at Jigsaw.



Below is text from the faux website for Stefane Monzon (no longer in existence):

THE SHOW
This summer we were able to premiere our first collection at the L.A. fashion week. Spurred on by the limits of conventional fashion we decided to showcase our very own minimalist, stripped down approach to it: welcome to follicular fashion! Thanks to our main sponsor Remington this ambitious project has been a tremendous success so far spawning a new class of events all dedicated to the motto of “It’s what’s on the outside that counts.

Below: Stefane Monzon prepping the model's pubic hair.


THE PHILOSOPHY
What do people see when they look at you? Do they see your inner beauty? Your good ideas, your friendly thoughts, your small-time visions? Let me assure you: they don’t. It’s what’s on the outside that counts. My designs are for people who want to stick out and express themselves.

People who want to experiment with what nature gave them to find out who they really are and who they want to be. My work is about individuality. It’s about expressing yourself. It’s about finding the beauty where no one has looked before. It’s about being inspired by the fullness of life around you. Absolute freedom that’s what I’m after: freedom to expose yourself, freedom to express yourself, freedom to grow a design on your body to explore the beauty of unconventional creativity.



Learn how to style your own pubic hair with the book below!

Art? Or Speakers? It's Two, Two Objects in One

Artcoustic is a brilliant idea. Why have ugly speakers (wall-mounted or otherwise) when they can double as wall art?

Artcoustic has a range of speakers, all of which can be 'hidden' by several different art options...including your own.

With a gallery from various artists as well as stock imagery from Getty Images, there's no end to the styles. They even provide a link and template to design your own.

Here are just a few images of plasma tvs and stereo's with artcoustic speakers on the wall.







ARTCOUSTIC GALLERY

Artcoustic hand-picks artists from around the world and invites them to create exclusive artworks for the Artcoustic Artist Portfolio. The Artcoustic Artist Portfolio is available for viewing at all specialist Artcoustic dealers. Each artwork/design is produced as a digital print and hand made into a screen.

You may submit your own artwork or photography that can be applied to your Artcoustic speakers, download a PDF submission guide by clicking here.

Below are a few available artists images for your speakers.
They have a very large selection and I'm only showing a few, so be sure to check them out yourself at www.artcoustic.com

Max Malandrino:


Michael Banks:


Kristian Hornsleth:


Ole Kortzau:


Sim Canetty-Clarke:



Take a look at a pdf of their product range here.

Albatros Design Lights Up Marble. Illuminated Furniture & Fireplaces.

Albatros Design of france makes glowing marble furniture. That's right, you heard me.






Furniture made with lovely marble that is illuminated from within.
In many variation of objects from Fireplaces to tables. Lamps to cubes.
With your choice of marble finishes.









With your choice of marble finishes.

Below: Marble surface without illumination on the left, and on the right, illuminated.


Available marble finishes below:

Update: Albatros Design is now Atelier Alain Ellouz and the illuminated furniture is only available in alabaster. See an updated post here.

Atelier Alain Ellouz (previously Albatros Design)

Product Pick Of The Week: The Lightair, Ionizer & Light in One

With three different products, a tabletop or floor version and a hanging pendant version, these products are both beautifully designed and good for you.

This portable ionizing air purifier eliminates 99.94 percent of harmful airborne pollutants, such as dust, smoke and pollen, even bacteria and viruses. In addition, its clean lines, slim silhouette and transparency offer consumers a stylish alternative to typical industrial-looking air purifiers. LightAir’s shape was designed to optimize its effectiveness. The cylindrical shape of the collector maximizes the surface area for particles to attach to. The soft edges prevent the production of positive ions and stop the negative-charged particles from bouncing back into the air. The decorative LED light at the base enhances the feeling of clean, healthy air, and the color of the LED can be easily changed to suit any mood or décor. LightAir has successfully bridged a gap in the air purifier market by offering consumers a device that not only enhances their health but their environment as well.
Silver winners in the 2007 IDEA consumer product category.

Click on the image above for more info and to purchase.