Marketing Stunt Ditches Bear

“In retrospect, perhaps we should have made the bear do something more obvious like a dance at the bus-stop to ensure that consumers knew that this was a humorous stunt. We sincerely apologize for any concerns raised and inconvenience caused.”
-Philips Electronics was forced to abandon a viral marketing campaign in which a man dressed in a bear suit was set to appear at various locations in Singapore. After the bear’s initial appearance at a bus stop, “the Singapore Zoo dispatched a team armed with a tranquillizer gun. Three members of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society also helped to scour the area…”