While surfing yahoo today, I came across this ad several times.
I can’t imagine why someone would pay a fortune for such a cryptic purpose. The ad points to this site:
http://www.whereismygnome.com/
It’s too expensive to be an amateur joke, imho, and the video on the site is clearly a professional acting job.
The gnome thing sounded so familiar and I remembered a similar theme in the French movie “Amelie” of about two years ago.
No, the video (and the site) are clearly a joke. The video was not completely amateur, but could be created with any number of computer video editing software packages. It was probably not very expensive at all to create.
I was talking about the quality of the acting in the video - not the quality of the technology.
It’s reminiscent of one of the schemes in the film Amélie.
The ad has been showing in my offices elevator for at least a couple weeks.
It is a viral marketing ad for Travelocity. There is a small mention of Travelocity in the video. I couldnt see one on the website in text though while glancing through it.
Do a whois on the domain name at network solutions.
The contact address listed is:
Registrant:
Bill’s site (JCBCKVUXCD)
333 Corporate Plaza
Raleigh, NC 27601
US
Domain Name: WHEREISMYGNOME.COM
Administrative Contact:
Fougere, Bruce (36492990P) brucefougere@hotmail.com
333 Corporate Plaza
Raleigh, NC 27601
US
919-821-4188
Which is the same address as the McKinney + Silver ad agency, who Travelocity has selected as their ad agency.
There are ads in elevators now!!! Next thing, there’ll be ads in public restrooms to watch while you are doing your business…lol
Don’t laugh – There already are ads in restrooms. I haven’t seen any animated ads yet, but there are some audio ads in restrooms. It’s kinda creepy.
Diddly, I did a whois too - how were you able to match the address with the ad agency?
I don’t understand this advertising concept, there was a vague mention of travelocity, but how is this going to be effective? I almost didn’t watch the video (where the travelocity mention was made)
Goes back much further than that. There’s a well-established urban legend that’s been doing the rounds as long as I can remember about a garden gnome being kidnapped, taken on a “world tour” with regular photos from well-known tourist spots, and finally returned with a painted tan. Who knows, maybe it really happened once. It’s not such a far fetched idea for a practical joke.
I’ve known tons of friends who can act (and write) comedy just as well as on that ad, which incidentally I think is really funny. So it doesn’t have to be “professional” actors.
Though, if it’s a well established ad like someone said, then I guess maybe they are.
The first rule of the Garden Gnome Liberation Front is you don’t talk abo… I mean you don’t call it an urban ledgend.
Diddly has it. The site also mentions the kidnappers taking flights around the world “that they never pay very much for”.
Forgot my link :smack:
Yeah, but which came first? The UL or the Liberation Front? I can remember hearing the story about the gnome kidnapping at least as far back as the mid-eighties. The CNN story is about something that happened in 2000, although it does refer to a previous “gnome ring” being caught in 1997.
I wonder if the Liberation Front brainwashed their captive gnomes and turned them out to be the underpants-stealing gnomes from South Park.
It certainly happened at least once. I personally saw a globe-trotting garden gnome that had taken up residence on the balcony of a building on Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand about 1984 or '85, before it resumed its world travels. The tale was that it had been sending postcards back to its “parents” in England, just like the one in Amelie. Not sure iif this was the first instance, but it was the first time I heard of it.
Here’s a website purporting to be the home of the aforementioned Gnome Liberation Front.
Actually, it’s more a general incitement to theft than anything else. Sure, it’s funny if one goes walkabout every once in a while, especially if it’s eventually returned, but the joke wears a bit thin after a while.
While I personally find the notion of keeping the things completely ridiculous, I think declaring all-out warfare on other people’s private property is perhaps a bit over the top. IMO it begs the question: Who is more in need of a life, the person who keeps the gnomes, or the one who tries to form a cult based around stealing them…
I saw this post but did not click on it. Today I have seen Travelocity Ads featuring a gnome at a Ski Lodge. Recalling this post, I decided to read the OP. I went to WhereismyGnome, and read part of the site… about “who took my gnome”.
The facts along the lines of “These people arent rich” “These people travel alot, and with deals so good, [I wonder if its legal]”
seems to help foward what Travelocity is in Business for.
I assume the Cryptic nature of the entire process is also planned. Here we are talking about Travelocity, on an Ad that other wise would just be another ad in the crowd. Instead of Travelocity shouting its name at us, it has the consumer doing it for them.
I am bringing up Travelocity’s site right now, I assume a connection or a “solution” to this entire gnore puzzle will be brought out, with Travelocity giving the solution. Ok, I don’t see anything about gnomes on Travelocity right now, I expect a answer to come out later. Perhaps in the US on Super Bowl Sunday.
Heh. Speaking of cryptic advertising, does anybody remember the Infiniti ads? And the comic strip that subsequently featured a car called “The Zero”, whose inventor (Zero) had to bully his ad company into mentioning the car in their commercials?