# Street View Murders Dan Thompson and Gary Kerry Stage a Killing in Edinburgh By Meghan Young | Published 2014-10-14 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/street-view-murder References: [buzzfeed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/two-men-staged-a-murder-on-google-street-view-and-the-police) & [independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/police-solve-axe-murder-captured-on-google-street-view-in-edinburgh-9473780.html) When the Google Street View car was spotted by Dan Thompson, a manager of a car repair shop in Edinburgh, and his mechanic Gary Kerry back in 2012, they decided to have a little fun by [staging what has now become known](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/enigmatic-graffiti) as the 'street view murder.' Staging a 'killing' just for the cameras, they subsequently forgot about their [practical joke](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/innocean-berlin) until the police showed up a few months alter to investigate the street view murder. Called in by a member of the public who caught sight of the gag, the police thankfully had a good laugh themselves after realizing the street view murder was staged. Of course, not all cops will be just as lenient if the act were to be repeated. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.6/10 - Popularity: 81% | Activity: 79% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) > [Bizarre](https://www.trendhunter.com/bizarre) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Practical Joke Publicity Stunts:** Companies could create effective advertising by staging and recording elaborate practical jokes that draw attention to their brand and generate viral buzz. - **Real-time Prank Safety Measures:** If companies are planning on staging public pranks, temporary safety measures, or a warning system should be put into place to prevent dangerous misunderstandings from happening. - **Viral Marketing Via Attention-grabbing Event:** Although a controversial practice, creating a public event specifically designed to go viral could draw enough interest to launch a product or lead to brand recognition. ### Where This Applies - **Advertising Agencies:** Advertising agencies could capitalize on the trend by creating elaborate stunts designed to go viral, but do so with appropriate safety measures in mind. - **Entertainment Events:** Event organizers could create an immersive event that stages a similar 'murder' in a safe environment for attendees to create a distinctive and memorable experience. - **Social Media Platforms:** Social media companies could provide a platform for videos that can go viral to improve engagement, such as by designating an area in each city where people can upload their own elaborate public stunts. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Historical Photographic Maps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/historical-street-view.md) - [Murder Mystery Puzzles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/murder-on-the-underground.md) - [Immersive Mystery Events](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crime-scene-investigator.md) - [Satirical Destination Marketing Videos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/switzerland-is-fake.md) - [Statement Street Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surreal-street-art-1.md) - [Show-Inspired Browser Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/squid-game-1.md) - [Paranormal Mapping Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ghost-town1.md) - [Game-Themed Browser Hidden Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/katamari-damacy-1.md) - [Social Experiment Virtual Apartments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uncanny-spaces.md)