Apparently here is the formula to a successful guerrilla marketing campaign that may single-handedly carry America’s crippled economy out of the slums (Perhaps an exaggeration, perhaps a bold prophecy)– primitive inane competitive spirit ingrained in mankind, especially of the male species + indulgent vice + copious amount of alcohol. Yes, we are talking about the viral drinking game which is sweeping the nation, suspected to be started by vodka distillery, Smirnoff, in an attempt to boost the sales of Smirnoff Ice– the company’s “girly” vodka based concoction.
Interestingly, Smirnoff Ice has always been written off as a girl’s drink, but after the game has caught on, men have been purchasing Smirnoff Ice by bulk for good reason. To understand this phenomenon, one has to first understand the rules. “Icing”, as named after Smirnoff Ice, is a game where the antagonist can hand his victim a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, and the victim will have to chug the drink on his knees. However, if the victim happens to be carrying a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, he can reverse the attack and the antagonist will have to drink both bottles.
Sounds evil? Perhaps evil plans are inherently ingenious. Alongside a copious amount of alcohol consumption and men rushing to purchase enough Smirnoff ammunition to prevent attacks, social media has been incorporated into the elaborate game via Twitter updates, Facebooks, where participants have been posting photographs documenting their triumphs and failures online.
Not convinced about the power of “Icing” yet? The game has made it to the Advertising section of the New York Times. Sure, Smirnoff has been denying that this is their viral marketing campaign, but if it is, we do believe the brains behind this operation deserves a promotion. And perhaps a body guard as well to prevent angry “Iced” victims from running his house down or attempting to “Ice” him into the ER. On that note, we shall close with a message of “please imbibe alcohol responsibly”. via: NYTimes.