A great advertisement sells something and strikes a primal emotion. Last year, advertisers from around the world became obsessed with marketing through fear.
The trend of using a terrifying hidden camera prank to promote a product became so popular that it even got its own name, "prankvertising."
Most of the ads included in this list got tens of millions of views on YouTube, but their critics wondered if views actually translated into effective marketing.
Apparently, ad agencies believed the viral exposure was worth the risk of a prank victim not taking too kindly to the stunt, as new prankvertisements kept popping up throughout the year.
And there's even one from this month, meaning that the trend is not over just yet.
We'll take a look at some highlights, some of which are highly questionable in their attempts at horrifying people — but pretty funny nonetheless.
'Carrie': 'Telekinetic Coffee Surprise'
Patrons of a coffee shop in New York City's West Village got a psychic attack to go along with their lattes last fall. To promote the remake of the classic horror film "Carrie," a production crew had an actress appear to have an angry telekinetic outburst.
With the help of props, remote controls, and a couple other actors, it looked as if this woman got revenge on the guy who spilled her coffee by using her mind to throw him against a wall and raise hell in the otherwise pleasant cafe:
Nivea: 'The Stress Test'
To promote its new deodorant in Germany, the charmingly awkward-sounding "Stress Protect" stick, Nivea decided to freak out a few people waiting for their flight.
When they were not paying attention, a photographer snapped a pic of the brand's target. A crew then quickly got to work printing up a fake newspaper with the person's face plastered on the cover, and sent out a "newscast" announcing to the airport that this person was on the run from authorities and considered dangerous. Eventually the authorities arrive — with an attache case full of Nivea products.
Apparently they would have dealt with the situation better if they had Stress Protect on:
Carlsberg: 'Carlsberg Puts Friends To The Test'
If your buddy called you at 3:00am and asked for a couple hundred bucks to save him from a dangerous poker game, would you drive to a sketchy part of town to save him?
Carlsberg beer did this experiment in the China Town in Antwerp, Belgium. It set up an elaborate underground poker club, filled with freaks, flames, and martial arts matches. The friends reluctantly pushed through the absurd maze until they found the seedy poker game. As soon as they laid the bills on the table, a curtain fell to reveal a production team, and the beer got flowing:
See the rest of the story at Business Insider