Photo: Niney Azman/Shutterstock; Courtesy Pringles
Pringles’s latest marketing ploy has got legs.
The chip company is asking their fans to help get a spider renamed after them because it bears an uncanny resemblance to their mascot. They first announced their efforts onTwitterlast month.
“Meet the Pringles Spider,” the company tweeted. “A real spider with the Pringles face on its back.”
In a video that accompanies the tweet, the company showed images and videos of the species, currently known as the Kidney Garden Spider (scientific nameAraneus mitificus), according to the wildlife community siteJungle Dragon. “There’s a species of spider that looks like this, we call it the Pringles Spider for obvious reasons,” the company said.
At the end of the video, Pringles also teased giving away free chips if they succeed in their mission.
OnInstagram, the company shared a more detailed ad and joked about what they would do if they renamed the species.
“Meet the world’s first brand spider, the Pringles Spider,” a woman said in the video. “The Pringles Spider is the perfect ad because they can reach people where other ads can’t. It’s the ultimate out-of-home advertising innovation… but in homes too,” she said, while surveillance cameras showed people getting startled when finding it.
“We’re working on getting them everywhere,” she continued, showing videos of the spiders all around the world. “Yes, I saw one right there,” a man in Managua, Nicaragua, said to the camera, “I tried stepping on it but it got away.”
The Pringles spokeswoman continued listing all their possible ads in the future. “But what else? Instagram, gaming, sponsorships, music videos, merchandise, movie cameos – sky’s the limit.”
“The Pringles Spider, every time I say that I get goosebumps,” she said at the end.
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“We’re calling on the arachnid community to do what’s right and recognize this very real spider as the Pringles Spider,” the company’s online petition reads.
The petition had 1,291 signatures as of publication time — a fraction of their online following. If approved, Pringles promised the first 1,500 supporters a free can of Pringles.
In addition to signing, fans can also adopt one of their own. “Just choose the one that speaks to you most,” thePringles website said, showing photos of six different spiders. From there, fans will receive an official certificate acknowledging the adoption.
source: people.com
