PR Fiasco in the making: Gizmodo at CES

Written on January 11, 2008 – 7:57 am
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten,

The Gizmodo team is known for its humor, different look at things and pranks. But it seems they have gone too far this time. At CES they walked around with a little home made device called a TV-B-Gone which allows you to remotely switch of LCD screens. Then they walked around the expo floors and randomly switched of LCD monitors. In a post titled “Confessions: The Meanest Thing Gizmodo Did at CES” they show a video of LCD screens switching off and sales people, sometimes with a large audience, panicking to get their equipment working again.

The first 10 seconds are funny but then you start wondering about those poor guys with their failing equipment. Apparently most people are more annoyed than amused and it seems this thing is turning into a PR nightmare fast. The post has received over 600 comments and most are negative. Bloggers are publicly voicing their anger and disagreement too.

They say that there is no such thing as bad press and the post has been viewed more than 150.000 times. But annoying your loyal followers is never a good idea. It is going to be interesting to see how they talk themselves out of this. And if they get another invitation for next years expo…

I hope you like that post!

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10 comments/trackbacks to “PR Fiasco in the making: Gizmodo at CES”

Jun 3, 2008: home expo
[...] [...]

By Robert Gaal on Jan 11, 2008

I’m sure the people sending Gizmodo all those gadgets to play with aren’t that amused…

Reply
By Noah Nelson on Jan 11, 2008

I have a half hazy memory of them hacking into their sister site Kotaku’s website and posting one of the most infamous images on the net (so bad it must not be named, lest it cause flashback) as part of their trash talking over Halo 3 of all things.

People who were innocently checking out a video game site at work got into trouble for looking at porn, and all the readership of Kotaku ever got was an apology from the editors of Kotaku… not a word from the Gizmodo guys.

Sounds like these guys need to find out what its like to loose your job for being a jackass.

Reply
By Robbie van der Blom on Jan 11, 2008

I’ve read previous to CES a warning about just this kind of prank and the simple solution to it Duct Tape ;).

Reply
By Hansel on Jan 11, 2008

“have gone to far this time”
Spellcheck doesn’t work here.

Reply
By Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten on Jan 11, 2008

Yeah Hansel, that IS a classic. Fixed…

Reply
By ab on Jan 11, 2008

Funny though

Sort of thing I would do, (hiding my id on this one)…

Reminds me of a story when we were kids, on the tubes in London, one day i noticed that a guard left the key in the tannoy and walked off briefly, I was on the train standing there with a friend, I told him to hold the doors, jumped off, ran and got the key and jumped back on just in time to be whisked off. The fun we had with that key was sooooo, funny and naughty. You should see the strops that people throw when standing at a platform only to hear ‘Due to a ” there will be no more trains tonight on this line, please find another way method to get home, we’re very sorry for any inconvenience.’

On mass over 100 or so people throw a real tantrum and waddle off out of the platform on their way, then as fate has it, as they have all just about left, the train rolls in and they all start running back on mass.

You got to see it to appreciate it.

Alas all the fun ended when we lost the key a few years later (on a train no doubt).

Reply
By Jerry Houtman on Jan 11, 2008

Major fuckup, I’d say.

Reply
By BillyWarhol on Jan 12, 2008

LOLLLLLL

thass Hilarious!!

No doubt U could tell who the Gizmodo Merry Pranksters were pulling the stunt cuz they were the ones pissing their pants Laffing!!

Oh Lordy i could just see it!!

Especially with the Sr. VP Marketing Dorks manning the Booths!!

Perfectamundo!!

;PPP

Reply
By edial on Jan 12, 2008

CEA’s take on CES Gizmodo prank: Banned!

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9849168-7.html%22

Reply

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