Samsung’s New ‘Viral’ Video Doesn’t Even Try To Look Real

Great, we finally have an incentive to build an Orion ship!

@Bokusatsu_Tenshi: I don't consider any of these videos to be viral ads anyway. They've ruined the term by slapping it onto their shitty misinterpretations, but there are still good viral videos by people who actually get it.

The new trend is Twitter though, so I'm not sure which to hate more.

spannu

Another reason to hate samsung...

@VeerTheTIGuy: Except for the fact the ad is a ripoff of Improv Everywhere who did almost the same thing. T-Mobile just took it and found a way to market it.

@VeerTheTIGuy: What a great ad. Doing something completely unexpected and showing that people will *really* use their phones to share it with others. Kind of makes you feel left out if you don't have such a device (which was their intention, of course).

Wish I had thought of it.

Greg Lloyd

The viral part lost it's meaning... that's the problem behind this video.

Back when the term "viral ad" hadn't been created, it was all about creativity and having tons of authentic views in few hours.

Now, viral ad means: Stupid artificial advertising we make to use blogs as marketing vehicles.

As always, money and corporations ruined a good movement.

On to the next trend...

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

its called a JET! couldn't samsung think something in a vicinity of that, like strap it to the rocket to record the earth or somthing

I think that everyone here is missing the point. It's obvious Samsung is poking fun at viral ads. It's a satirical viral ad, and yet it is still making rounds and getting the exposure it needs. And it makes the point well enough: the Jet is fast.

Or, maybe I'm giving them too much credit?

KStrike155

LOL. Yeah, why didn't they use a REAL UFO. and REAL elephants! WHY? I'm confused too and don't understand the ad!

Can I write for Gizmodo now?

commentotron

There are two types of embarrassment. Type 1: when I do something foolish and feel embarrassed. Type 2: things like this video making me feel embarrassed for them. How awkward.

@TheSonOfKrypton:this was a crappy commercial, but an actually successful viral ad. nevertheless it got us to be talking about it.

lltaeho

i think alot of people lose the definition of what a "viral" ad is.

i mean, this ad (as horrible as the CGI was) made onto gizmodo. we all watched it, and commented on it.

a few of us will probably show this to our friends as well (if only to show how crappy it was). even so, that would make this a successful viral ad. it got from one person to another.

the reason why doesn't matter, and how "good" it was doesn't either. as long as your eyes witness it, then you allow someone else's eyes to witness it, it's working.

it's still an awesome phone. and this crappy ad at least made me think about it today.

lltaeho

It makes me feel bad as a writer that I'm raging too hard to put the amount of suck in that video into words right now.

Digo

@HumungaCowabunga_GitEmSteveDave: HAHA! Nice. NASA conspiracy theories have been in almost every post's comment section this week. Why stop on a post that has nothing to do with it (aside from the alien space ship)?

@Homerjay still mourning Billy Mays for some...: So the whole point was... a phone, actually that was a pretty good commercial. I know of this thing called the Samsung jet now.

AznSlackerType~Is AbsurdlyNarcissistic

@Homerjay still mourning Billy Mays for some...: So is Samsung.

And here we are talking about it. Mission accomplished Samsung.

usa1

I believe the term here is spoof.

Looks like something from Dr. Who... Without Rose :(

turbob5

Did this ad play in the UK? If so, I have a feeling it was a spoof of the T-Mobile flashmob ad that they played over there. (see video)

@glamajamma: Or if the bungees were just long enough that they flattened people each time they jumped.

Rescue workers could find an orphaned Jet, click through the pix, and see a beautiful, detailed, up-close snap of an alien elephant at very close range.

taodude

@electronymous: Ah, you fail to realize that this camera is capable of taking the pictures of mass hallucinations!

WFROSE

Wow... I don't think anyone is getting it. They are very obviously making FUN of the whole viral video thing. I don't think they honestly expect anyone to really believe that they did this for real.

gerrylum

@Geisrud: Yea the UFO was...well, not believable but at least CG-ish. The elephants were practically out of a cartoon, though.

@Kaiser-Machead: I'd watch that!

Wow, those elephants looked terrible. But not as terrible as the acting of the last woman speaking. Yuck.

actually, I think the UFO looked bang on realistic. It was those pachyderms that looked totally fake. damn aliens can't afford real elephants? ftw!

banmojo

@Die Fledermaus: don't you get it? there were no elephants. it's a comment on the human condition.

deliciousburglar

@electronymous:I'm lost....

first thing i thought of was operation dumbo drop

powell.442

anyone else think flight of the navigator ?

fleebailey33

@Homerjay still mourning Billy Mays for some...: Yeah but, if it wasn't really there, then the camera didn't really take the picture so, what was the point.

electronymous

they should be shut down for animal cruelty!

where's peta?!

@glamajamma:

Or jumped down and humped the fountain statue and then jumped back in the ufo.

glamajamma

It would have bee funnier if they repelled into a circus and evac-ed elephants in the circus.

or

jumped down, picked up a local street mime in their trunk, bashed him senseless and jumped back in their spaceship.

glamajamma

@bornonbord: This video just makes me want to go smash something! I completely agree with you on this. So much work went into this silly idea and it's going to make the poor 3D guy look bad. Having been in those shoes before (watch Jurassic Park III DVD menus) you'll know what I mean. *sob

Magic Beans? Sure, I'll Buy Some!!

It's "faux" viral get over it. Was actually kinda funny.

NerzzleintheVerzzle

At least the elephants looked more realistic than creepy girl from the pre commercials.

guineapirate

@Geisrud:
So you are saying it is sort of like Vogon poetry?

@dwight-schrute: oh brother

Pwnerjam3.0

My made you write a review about it on a high traffic news site i'd say their job is complete, as a matter of fact do you work for Samsung?

Jarek James

You almost couldn't see the strings!

The vid seems to be serving it's purpose - getting people talking.

taodude

@Pwnerjam3.0: I thought all "... gay" posts were nails waiting for the banhammer. Is that not the case or is it because all the posts lately of "that is so ubergay" are grayed out and not even editors read them?

that was really gay

Pwnerjam3.0

@Die Fledermaus: Well clearly, the juxtaposition with the elephants and Picadilly "Circus"....ahh, who am I kidding; I just wanted to use the word juxtaposition.

Actually, this is how the Beatles got their name. It wasn't a man on a flying pie that told them they would be named the Beatles! It was CGI bungee jumping space elephants!

First of all. An Asian person? With an English accent? I call Shopped.

The UFO wasn't too bad. The elephants were terrible.

I think the point is to show something extremely ridiculous, even taken to a greater degree of other virals and basically pull a "GOTCHA" on the people watching. It's not really supposed to be Viral in fact to me it seems like a parody of a viral video meant to get reactions like yours and thus free publicity.

Maori_Yelir

My question is, how did she manage to get a picture of something that wasn't even there!!! That phone does sound pretty bad ass.

You linked it, didn't ya, though?

Mission ACCOMPLISHED.

rootyb

Is this the only thing on the front page of Giz for anyone else?

@TheSonOfKrypton: I feel so bad for the people at the Ad Agency, the production house, and the post production house.

Ok, maybe not the ad agency so much.

Too many companies think this "viral" thing is the way forward and put pressure on people to come up with 'new' and 'exciting' and 'hilarious' videos.

The UFO didn't look real, for sure, but they probably had NO budget to make it any better. My guess is the 3D guy worked stupid hours for free to get this as good as it is.

So, do we murder the creatives who came up with the UFO idea, the account person who sold a 'viral' to Samsung, or Samsung for insisting on this type of low-brow marketing?

@Die Fledermaus: The elephants are the FCC.

I can appreciate that they were trying to spoof the other companies for using viral videos.

However, if the camera is really that good, they should file the whole commercial on it. Cloverfield style.

Oooh! Footfall!

AEchinoderm

Obviously the point of this video was that you can take a photo on the Samsung phone REALLY fast instead of having to open an app, wait, focus, wait, snap.
I think it made the point.

@stryder100: With peanuts, of course.

Ninety-9

Was that a Moon Nazi flying saucer?

RoboChop

@RoboChop: Oh you sick cheeky monkey. You read my mind.

Kaiser-Machead

I TRULY believe this is the worst Viral Video I have ever laid my two eyes upon. I mean, whoever thought this up should simply be murdered. That's how terrible it was.

What I want to know is how they go the elephants into the flying saucer in the first place.

stryder100

It... looks to me like the point was to make fun of viral videos, not to BE a viral video.

I'm not seeing the issue.

TehGwan

@Kaiser-Machead: Yeah...into their hands.

RoboChop

Why not just have midget barbarians run around hacking at people's shins with axes, then shoving the phones into their hands?

Kaiser-Machead

Maybe that's what the humor of the aliens in District 9 will be like. lol We just wanted to play with the elephants.

jakster4u

The woman at the end holding the phone did a horrible job.

ebotee

Wow, those hidden cameras have great PTZ capabilities, as well as being able to apparently move.

And this is supposed to be viral? At least make it look a little blurry/fuzzy, like this one.

Those extras weren't even trying. They probably got paid in free food so decided why bother trying.

Lupison

So the elephants mean what?