In Which a Man Dressed As an Air Freshener Makes Fun of Snooki
BY Nick Judd | Thursday, July 29 2010
A man dressed as a giant air freshener is taking to the New Jersey streets in search of fellow Garden Staters who, like him, feel that the state is getting a bad rap in the latest spate of Jersey-themed reality television shows.
This is all part of web video to support an online PR push called Jersey Doesn't Stink, which is geared as a pushback against shows like "The Jersey Shore" and "Real Housewives of New Jersey" on behalf of people who feel these programs reinforce unfair stereotypes of New Jersey residents as mindless fistpumpers with fake tans or bad drivers with awful hair.
Actor Anthony DeVito roams what looks to be Hoboken and Jersey City, seeking support for the homeland of Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra by way of Snooki references.
"That girl looks like a pumpkin, though, doesn't she?" he asks one man.
In a conversation with two Jersey residents on a park bench, he sums the gist of the campaign in a single line: "It's unfair to paint everyone in New Jersey with that same broad, orange brush."
It's an example of what's become standard for an Internet marketing campaign: Web video produced in the hopes that it goes viral; a portal website with something to download, a list-building call to action that takes email addresses, the opportunity to upload video on the campaign's behalf, and of course a Facebook fan page.
As for the costume, one can only assume that they figured, "Hey, if it worked for Old Spice ..."
And the New Jersey air freshener, too, could be considered The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. If you want your man to have that "new car" smell.
The campaign is backed by Red Bank-based High Point Auto Insurance, according to The Newark Star-Ledger.
For all of the campaign's many obvious pluses, there is one pretty significant outstanding flaw: If New Jersey doesn't stink, why does it need an air freshener?