You have probably heard what happened in Korea this week. It’s been all over the news. When a brand comes out and states it accepts full responsibility, and will pay for the medical bills, something has gone awry.
LG’s new smartphone has been well received in the press. The “G in the Cloud” campaign promised a new smartphone (worth £500+) to 100 lucky winners who happened upon a balloon, presumably once it’d travelled a few miles and come back down to earth. But they took to social media to promote the launch of said balloons, and zealous participants arrived with fishing nets, bundles of string and stepladders in the hope of grabbing a balloon before it floated off into the distance. Others, however, arrived with knives and BB guns. In the resulting carnage, 20 people were injured, and 7 people ended up in hospital.
It’s not the first time a competition has ended in disaster. Back in 2007, an American woman died after a radio station challenged people to “hold their wee for a Wii”. And back in 2003, four Brits required skin grafts after being challenged to sit on dry ice for as long as possible, for the chance to grab a humble festival ticket. *Wince*
Regardless of how much companies are looking to promote their services, public safety should always be properly considered.
