An action filled promotional trailer for a television show called “Scarlet,” which seems to be about a lead character who is a combination of a big Hollywood star and a secret agent has been appearing on TV recently.  The ads claim that the show was created by a television veteran who has worked on top shows like Smallville and The Sopranos.   The ads were followed up by billboards which trumpeted the show’s arrival and a fancy website.  There’s only one problem:  There is no show called Scarlet!   The whole thing was a hoax designed to help launch LG Electronics newest flatscreen TVs.

Does obscuring your actual product actually help sell the product?  We’ve discussed the use of this practice in the insurance industry previously.  The advertising campaign does differentiate itself from the herd of TV advertisers and paints the product as more exciting and innovative.   But at the end of the day, does it really help sell anyone on the quality of the LG Electronics TVs?   What does everyone else think?