# Frightening Movie Promotions The Rings Movie Marketers Pranked Unsuspecting Strangers By Mishal Omar | Published 2017-01-23 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rings-movie References: [io9.gizmodo](http://io9.gizmodo.com/watch-the-ring-girl-crawl-out-of-an-electronics-store-t-1791441155) The Rings movie will be released in the month of February and one of its promotions involved scaring [unsuspecting people](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mwcurated) at an electronics store in upstate New York. The promotion was set up in the TV section of the store, where several TVs played the [Rings movie trailer](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/premier-foods-and-sony-pictures) on repeat. A store worker introduced people to the commercial and as they did, one of the TVs would slide up to reveal a girl wearing makeup and long hair in front of her face. Visitors to the store did not notice until the girl crawled through the hole she was sitting in, terrifying the people around her. This [movie promotion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/asda-and-wicked) offers a unique and appropriate way to market Rings, offering both fear and humor for viewers to enjoy. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.3/10 - Popularity: 53% | Activity: 98% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) > [Pranks](https://www.trendhunter.com/pranks) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Immersive Marketing:** Using scare tactics in promotional campaigns creates immersive experiences that engage consumers on a deeper level. - **Experiential Advertising:** Creating interactive and unexpected experiences like the Rings promotion captivate audiences and generate buzz around a product or brand. - **Viral Prank Campaigns:** Prank-based promotions, like the one for Rings, have the potential to go viral, reaching a wide audience and generating organic interest. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Film and Entertainment:** The film industry can leverage immersive and experiential marketing techniques to create unique promotions that enhance the movie-going experience and drive ticket sales. - **Retail and Electronics:** Retailers in the electronics industry can explore creative partnerships with movie studios to create engaging in-store promotions that attract customers and increase sales. - **Advertising and Marketing:** Prank campaigns offer disruptive innovation opportunities for advertising and marketing agencies to create attention-grabbing campaigns that resonate with audiences and generate viral buzz. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Horror-Themed Phone Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/join-the-flip-side.md) - [Candy-Themed Doorbell Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mms-and-ring.md) - [Horror-Inspired Sports Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scary-good-campaign.md) - [Distorted Burger Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ailloween.md) - [Horror-Themed QSR Short Films](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jack-in-the-box-feeding-time.md) - [Nightmarish Mobile Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cellphone-bill.md) - [Horror Doll Makeup Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-decay-x-m3gan.md) - [Spooky Street Ad Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fanta-halloween-projection.md) - [Halloween Essentials Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/halloween-essentials.md)