You Lie!

A recent viral video opens on a pretty blonde, who sits at her desk while cradling an infant son. "Hi, my name is Karen and I'm from Denmark," she says. "And this here is my baby boy. His name is August. I'm doing this video because I'm trying to find August's father."

Karen tells the story of meeting the father one-and-a-half years earlier at a Copenhagen bar. She was on her way home, she says, and he had been separated from his friends. They went down to the water for a drink, she continues, and one thing led to another. She admits being embarrassed that she doesn't remember his name or where he came from—and insists her motives for creating the video are pure.

Or maybe not. "A Danish newspaper revealed the true identity of Karen as Ditte, a 29-year-old actress, and found the 'father of the video'—VisitDenmark.com," says Hjörtur Smárason at the Marketing Safari blog.

"I guess she's an example of Danish 'accommodation.' It has been very criticized in Denmark, but not for promoting promiscuity in Denmark or Denmark as a destination for one night stands and sex tourism, but for creating a 'fake ad.'"

[Note: Smárason's commentary contains language that might offend some readers.]

The Danish Tourist Council pulled the video once its ploy was uncovered—and though you could argue it generated plenty of attention for Denmark, your Marketing Inspiration is to ask, "At what cost?"

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