A YouTube video that has grabbed some half a million viewers in the last four days shows a guy hacking into all of the jumbo screens in Times Square to show videos from his iPhone. Since a user named
BITcrash44 posted the video on YouTube this week, it has not only gotten some 800,000 views, but has been mentioned on Gizmodo, Gothamist, Salon, NBC New York and others. But the video is fake, and
that's fine with Thinkmodo, the agency that did the stunt to promote the film "Limitless."
The founders of the agency, James Percelay and Michael Krivicka, say the idea is to make
videos people will think are clever and authentic but that are sub rosa product pitches. "We're pushing the engagement of an idea which leads you then to the product," said Percelay.
The video shows a guy in Times Square explaining how technology connected to his iPhone can take over any video screen. The movie is a brief part of the video, as one of the screens he takes over
happens to be playing a clip for the movie. Thinkmodo, not "Limitless," may be the real product here.
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