Lions Gate Uses Fake Website to Promote 'Godsend'
Lions Gate Films has created a fake website to promote their upcoming Robert Deniro vehicle "Godsend." While not the first this year to do it ('Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' had their Lacunainc.com site) this new approach is decidedly more deceptive.
With a professionally polished look, bogus testimonials, an 800 number, and absolutely no references to the film, the "Godsend Institute" poses as a medical facility that can clone lost loved ones. To an unsuspecting visitor, the site looks tantalizingly real.
Wired quoted some of the false testimonials and commented on them:
The site features testimonials from satisfied customers. For example: "Our son's name was Michael, and when he died he was 5 years old. I was heartbroken, of course, but my wife was absolutely devastated. She had been told that she was unable to have children, and when Michael was born, she had taken it as a sign from God. When he died, my wife's faith died with him. Then we heard about Dr. Wells and Godsend. It's been three years since he gave Michael back to us, and all I can say is that if there is a God, his name is Dr. Richard Wells. -- Joe R."
The site also exclaims: "Death doesn't have to be an ending. At the Godsend Institute, we have the ability to make it a fresh start -- A New Beginning!"
"That part of it is kind of eerie for anyone who has gone through the loss of a loved one, particularly a child," said George Belch, chairman of the department of marketing at San Diego State University. "But we see so many bizarre things on the Internet."
With such a sensitive topic as cloning, it's easy to see the thinking behind this marketing approach -- It wouldn't surprise me one bit if this erupts into a controversy overflowing with press coverage. But if Lions Gate is subscribing to the "all press is good press" mantra that Hollywood has made famous, it might just backfire. Just one deceived parent who lost a child and falsely got their hopes up could cause some serious outrage. Movie marketing, as fast and loose as its been in the past, is not above ethical marketing standards. But in an environment where the ethics sections in marketing texts are an afterthought, marketers will continue to skirt the limits of acceptability.
Related Links:
Wired News: Attack of the Movie Clones
Former FTC Commissioner's remarks on enforcing truth in Advertising
Comments
It's Lions Gate not Lion's Gate.
Thanks. Fixed the entry.