Zombies get "red light camera" tickets, too

Video artist and viral genius Joe Sabia, whose work we've featured before on Boing Boing Video and the Virgin America in-flight Boing Boing TV channel, shares word of a project he just completed for the energy drink company behind Zombie Blood Energy Potion.

"Red Light Fright was highly experimental, highly speculative, and the results were hilarious," Joe says.

"We basically loaded an intersection with zombies, intentionally blew a right light, and received a ticket in the mail with a ton of photos showing branded zombies in action. No arrests, no manhunts for us (we hope). just good, safe clean fun."

Did the zombies really get the parking tickets? Are they real zombies? Are they real parking tickets? He won't tell me. Either way, a clever viral marketing stunt on what I'm told was a very low budget.

REDLIGHTFRIGHT.COM

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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Zadaz

I generally pass on a quiet ‘meh’ when I see people break stupid laws for publicity.

But running a f-ing red light is not a stupid law, I don’t care how many people you had there to make it safe, it’s a stupid thing to do.

The very last thing I’ll be doing is buying whatever the heck is being advertised.

(Actually, yeah, what the heck is being advertised? I mean I looked at the photos and skimmed the article and I totally missed what the heck it was for. Viral Marketing Fail.)
- Anonymous
  
  I’m with you on the red-light running hate. The problem with the cameras is that they make certain assumptions about the speed of the car, so if Person A runs a light, Person B in the next lane (e.g. a turning lane) might get the ticket if the camera catches Person B’s plate instead.
  
  Then there’s the trick of photoshopping a fake license on paper, sticking it to your car after making sure the cops aren’t around, intentionally running the light, and getting someone else the ticket. Some high school students did this to their principal awhile back.
  
  I realize these false tickets can be gotten out of with minimal explanation and proof. I don’t know about you, but I don’t relish the idea of taking a half day off of work to clear things up at city hall because some jerk in the next lane over ran a light.
Antinous / Moderator

He can take a chomp out of me anytime. He’s the second hottest zombie ever.
cjp

Our car was totaled by a red light runner in the middle of a sunny afternoon because he ‘thought it would be safe’. We didn’t laugh. Hard to with the broken sternum I had. We didn’t even laugh after the cops charged him with dangerous driving.

This is not only a bad idea but a really bad example to their zombie peers. I hope their zombie moms find out.
wrybread

I came here hoping to read a bunch of posts complaining about how running a red light is illegal and not funny under any circumstances and wasn’t disappointed. Thanks!

For my part I think this is frickin hilarious. Every traffic camera picture I’ve ever seen is oddly funny, and as far as I’m concerned they’re due for some shinanigans. I have a friend who got one of these in the mail. He’s tall and skinny with red hair, but in the ticket there’s a large plump woman driving his car, happily charging through the intersection. Turns out she borrowed his car without telling him. Cracks me up every time I even think about that picture.

And for my part I’m all for businesses hiring creative artists like the folks who staged this event, so long as its clear that its a sponsored event. As far as I’m concerned everyone benefits.
Purplecat

You’ve got red on you.
- Felton / Moderator
  
  Ed, this is serious!
Anonymous

Lot of folks in the comments that are infected with: “Hey! You can’t DO that!”
woid

Business opportunity: Zombie Traffic School.
Xopher

Red is the Bad Color. No red!
techdeviant

Doesn’t a moving violation make your car insurance go up too? Seems like this was a poorly thought out idea.
Anonymous

The citation says a video is available..
Anonymous

is the top pic/scan supposed to be the same paper he’s holding up in the second image?
they are completely different
- Anonymous
  
  I was going to say the same.
  
  The two images are completely different. Also the one that’s large looks totally CG to me … might just be due to other factors; like the quality of the police cam etc … but without looking more into it I would assume that the large image featured (the interesting one) is completely fake, and the one in his hands is real … which looks like it has no zombies in it.
  - ranomatic
    
    They are different. From the linked site:
    
    As inadvertent inspiration, here’s a zombified Brandon (of BrainMuffin) holding up his traffic ticket months before.
    - Anonymous
      
      Ah I see; that explains that.
      
      I still think the viral version looks pretty fake. To the extent where its reality is irrelevant, as when used as adversing I’m sure most people won’t believe that it’s real.
      
      Might as well have saved some time and money and outsourced it to an artist for a few hundred bucks – maybe that’s what they did?
Anonymous

Best-Case Scenario for a finale: continued use of the cameras for unserious ends leads additional communities to eliminate the use of the cameras, and tickets are once again distributed by confrontable accusers.
strangefriend

Not a parking ticket. This is a ticket for running a red light. A moving violation. Hey, you can change your title to ZOMBIES GET MOVING VIOLATION. Ha ha.
Xeni Jardin

argh, need moar coffee

fixed
Anonymous

I’m gonna go buy some energy drinks now!
haren

Seems like Zombies and vampires are capturing the imagination of people everywhere…..real viral marketing if you know what i mean….hehe
Anonymous

Funny they took the time to blur just about everything but decided to leave the license plate for all to see.
knoxblox

Not to mention impeding traffic/jaywalking tickets for a few pedestrian zombies…
caffeine addict

Yay, we drove through a junction when the lights were against us and it was fucking hilarious! Yes, it might have been illegal and dangerous, but that’s okay because it was part of an advertising stunt and it got us in BoingBoing!

Fucking arsehole.
- Anonymous
  
  Lighten up, Rufus.
- ranomatic
  
  I followed the link to the “Red Light Fright” site. They claim that they had two safety teams working to make sure this wasn’t unsafe. But it sure was illegal. This could have been done legally, it just would have cost more that $500.
  
  I prefer to buy products from companies that do things that are legal rather than illegal, so Harcos Laboratories – No Zombie Blood Energy Potion for me.
Hawkman

Looking at the full sized scan it also appears they were going 34 miles an hour in a 25 mph zone – so there is also the speeding element of it which they could have prevented having to pay for. However they may be in a good position to appeal the violations due to drivers fear of zombies / brain being eaten!
bcsizemo

I think he needs to make a part two where it shows the court proceedings….Judge look at the photos! There were F’n ZOMBIES! You know in a totally serious and slightly aggravated voice. Now that would be hilarious.
Anonymous

This was made exponentially funnier by the people who are offended by it. Some people just don’t get it.
Anonymous

But Joe Sabia is cheap!

The 500 $ marketing budget got them 9 zombies, the driver Patricia (who is the main reason I’m interested in this), two safety teams (at least two people per team) and “hours of prep” (for at least one person) plus 30 minutes of setting up for everybody else (I’m assuming they worked at least one hour each). And they had to pay the 445 $ ticket. That leaves 55 $ which comes down to an hourly pay of:

13 people working 1 hour
1 person working 2 hours

15 hours divided by 55 $ = 3.6 $ per hour

That’s including props, gas for the car, fake blood, make up and setting up the website. That’s a great price, even if they had to bend the law a little along the way.
Blue

Breaking the law for the purposes of advertising and getting free publicity on BB?

This whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
the_pants

So they blur the VEH LIC NO in the ticket, but then leave it in the photo? Is that part of the viral marketing?