A stall at the ongoing, month-long Car-Free Day festival in Vancouver, Canada sold “Hot Dog Water” as a satire on deceptive product advertisements.
Marketed as Keto-diet compatible and gluten-free, Hot Dog Water caught the eye of festival-goers, as reported by Global News on June 17. The stall selling it claims that the drink is a good source of electrolytes, as it is rich in sodium. Moreover, it supposedly helps in losing weight, improving brain function, maintaining youth and increasing vitality.
With a tag price of CA$37.99 (approximately P1,500), one netizen in Twitter, Moebius Stripper (@moebius_strip), wondered if the stall owners were serious about their product’s claims: “This booth that sells unfiltered hot dog water is hands down the strangest thing at Car-Free day, and I have no idea – literally none – as to whether it is real or an elaborate stunt.”
https://twitter.com/moebius_strip/status/1008478468672184321
It appears that the netizen’s thoughts may be on the right track, based on additional descriptions printed at the bottom of the product’s sales pitch, said the report. The description states: “Hot Dog Water in its absurdity hopes to encourage critical thinking related to product marketing and the significant role it can play in our purchasing choices.”
“It’s really sort of a commentary on product marketing, and especially sort of health-quackery product marketing,” said Dog Water CEO Douglas Bevans in the report. “From the responses, I think people will actually go away and reconsider some of these other $80 bottles of water that will come out that are ‘raw’ or ‘smart waters,’ or anything that doesn’t have any substantial scientific backing but just a lot of pretty impressive marketing.”
While Hot Dog Water appears to be merely a stunt to open the eyes of consumers, the CEO had to shell out money to pull it all off. Bevans said that he spent CA$1200 (about P48,700) on branding, bottles, labels and other costs. Kate Matriano/JB
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