A funny, scary of LG ad launched just in time for Halloween. The video tagline, “So Real, It’s Scary » shows riders’ reactions who believe their end is near as the bottom of the elevator floor dropping out beneath them.

The trick: a grid of IPS monitors are installed on the floor of an elevator to create an optical illusion that the elevator is plummeting to its demise as a hidden camera captures the reactions of riders .

According to ABC News, a spokeswoman for LG Electronics in the Netherlands, where the ad was launched, told that the video has been viewed more than 3 million times (at last check, that number has jumped to more than 9 million views on YouTube alone). The aim for LG is the message that IPS monitors make images so real, it’s hard to separate from reality.
Though, on the video’s YouTube page, the majority of the comments have focused not on the monitors’ quality but on whether the people in the video are real or actors hired to portray pure terror. Nevertheless, this technique is taking advertising to a public space, catching consumers off guard and creating an engaging relation with them. It is even more effective when the advertising main idea is to allow the public to share an experience. LG has covered both of these factors with their new ad.

The company has used unconventional marketing videos in the past to drum up interest in its high-tech products. In January, a video showing a « smart thief » (actually an actor » stealing one a LG Ultrathin OLED television was viewed more than 5 million times.  

Don’t be shy, plays the video: