Unfortunately the ad campaign was not a particularly big success, in part because so many people found it so convincing as the ad itself gave no indication at any point (whether in the pamphlet or on the various wed sites it led you to) that the whole charade was nothing more than one big car commercial.
As for myself, at age eighteen I had read alot of 'strange but true' books on various topics (UFOs, ghosts, bigfoot, etc...) and could smell a hoax the moment I read the opening of the pamphlet which quoted Aristotle about being open minded. Nevertheless, I still found the whole thing quite fascinating.
Today the ‘Mini Cooper Robot Myth’ remains a fascinating footnote in the long history of humankind’s relationship with mythical mechanical men.
Sources/More Information:
Pursuing Marketing Buzz at NYTimes.com
Men of Metal: Horror or Hoax and Men of Metal: The Anatomy of a Hoax by Michael Walls
The Art of The Lie: Disinformation in Advertising by John J. Fanning (One man who was not at all amused by the myth)
Links to the various Men of Metal viral websites
2 comments:
The plot sounds a little bit crazy but at least in the way that it is something that it would make people freak out.
I remember reading this in a mechanics waiting room, I think it presented itself as an excerpt from an incoming novel. It even included an email contact for the author and I emailed him telling him I loved it and when will the book be out? Never heard back and now I see why. Just a car commercial. Bummer, was a good "story".
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