# Viral Business Parodies Mad Magazine's Circuit City Spoof By Going Like Sixty | Published 2008-08-05 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/circuit-city-demands-mad-magazine-parody-be-pulled References: [networkworld](http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/30669?t51hb) Circuit City lost its sense of humor, but just for a short few hours. Mad Magazine did a [parody](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/break-from-artificial) of Circuit City "located just across the street from [Best Buy](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tech-shops)" and the corporation demanded the magazine be pulled from the few stores where it is actually sold. Soon after, the Circuit City PR people decided that this might have been an overreaction and issued a [pretty clever apology](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kiehls-response). **Implications** - The apology issued reads, "most of us at Circuit City share a rich sense of humor and irony... but there are occasional temporary lapses. We apologize for the knee-jerk reaction." It's nice to know that the company can have a sense of humor and let the little things slide. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.7/10 - Popularity: 39% | Activity: 35% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Humor](https://www.trendhunter.com/humor) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Parody Marketing:** Opportunity for brands to use satire and humor to engage and amuse their audience. - **PR Crisis Management:** Importance of quickly and effectively addressing issues to maintain brand reputation in the digital age. - **Brand Authenticity:** Customers appreciate when brands show a genuine sense of humor and ability to admit mistakes. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail:** Retailers can leverage parody marketing to stand out in a competitive market and connect with customers. - **Publishing:** Publishing companies can explore opportunities to create parodies and satirical content to engage readers and attract attention. - **Marketing and Advertising:** PR crisis management plays a crucial role in mitigating negative publicity and maintaining positive brand perception. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Drug-Themed April Fool's Gags](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/innocean-berlin.md) - [Humorous Menswear Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mens-wearhouse.md) - [Humorous Brand Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-rewards-program.md) - [Accessible Customer Service Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/accessible-customer-service.md) - [Nostalgic Long-Form Infomercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mint-mobile-mintfomercial.md) - [Comical Love-Inspired Food Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-king-loveinspired-ads.md) - [Tongue-In-Cheek Soda Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tastes-better-campaign.md) - [Witty Advertising Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/self-referential-marketing.md) - [Humorous Automotive Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/where-have-you-been.md)