Corporate contests. They so often lead to hijinks at the hands of technology, such as that time the internet decided Mountain Dew's new flavor should be "Gushing Granny." Oh, and there was that one online promotion that sent something called Taylor Swift to sing at a school for the deaf. But, lest you think that this volatile mixture of technology and corporate contests is good only for laughs, picture the following.

 

You're walking down a street in a European city, reading about how something someone did somewhere upset a major world religion, and you decide you need respite from the madness of the news. So you walk into a corner store, buy a candy bar, and tear it open, ready to bite into a soft, gooey explosion of stress-melting flavor-gasm. That, of course, is when the black helicopters and MiBs appear out of nowhere, rushing you with an ominous black suitcase. If someone froze you right there in that moment, what do you think you would likely expect to happen next?

 

Well, you'd be wrong (probably). Because those aren't darkly dressed neo-terrorists that have for some reason decided to specifically blow you up with a neutron bomb (dear lord, you're self-centered). No, it's your friendly folks at Nestle, responding to the GPS technology in your treat to hand you £10,000 in cold, pants-crappingly terrifying cash. It's all part of the new Nestle contest to reward customers by tracking them down via GPS technology in their candybars within 24 hours of being consumed. They named this campaign "Nestle: we will find you!", because apparently "Nestle: we could find and kill you for eating our products anytime we wanted to" didn't strike quite the right tone.

 

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that there's no reason for me to think this contest will play out the way I described above. Well, here's Nestle's own ad for the contest.

 

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Now, I'm generally all for creative promotions, but this all seems terrifying. A private company is going to track me down via GPS and throw a suitcase at me in a major city? Well, not me, since not only am I not European, but I'm one of the six people on the planet that absolutely hates chocolate...but you, sweet Euro-reader! It could be you who fudges your pants after eating fudge! So, in conclusion, the article gives a listing of the candy bars you should avoid if you don't want to be hunted down.

 

"The grand prizes for Nestle's We Will Find You promotion, involve these four chocolate products: KitKat 4 Finger, KitKat Chunky, Aero Peppermint Medium and Yorkie Milk."

 

Source: http://www.techdirt....-you-down.shtml

 

I really don't know if that is a brilliant idea or a scary one.

 

How many people really keep the wrapper for up to a day after buying a chocolate bar?

Somebody thought this would be a good idea?

^{Judging by the responses sounds like I'm going to win this competition.}

Every day it becomes more and more apparent that Orwell was right, he just got the year wrong.

So I'm the only one who thinks that this sounds awesome?

So I'm the only one who thinks that this sounds awesome?

 

I think it does too. People are overly paranoid in this day and age. What harm is this going to do? Unless you are thinking of sneakily robbing a museum 24 hours after eating the bar, they aren't exactly going to be doing anything bad. I'd expect them to more likely turn up at your house/work/school and just hand you the bag.

Sounds like TNT's "Push to Add Drama" button, just a bit more intrusive, rewarding and spontaneous.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw&list

it's just a funny little contest, not some groundbreaking new exploitation of our privacy rights that will lead us into 1984, jesus christ.

it's just a funny little contest, not some groundbreaking new exploitation of our privacy rights that will lead us into 1984, jesus christ.

This. If you don't want to participate, don't eat the candy.

it's just a funny little contest, not some groundbreaking new exploitation of our privacy rights that will lead us into 1984, jesus christ.

I don't have to think that for GPS trackers in candy to be unnerving. It's an innocent contest that manages to be unintentionally terrifying in its delivery; "Surprise! Guess what we slipped into your food!" is the last thing you want to hear after eating something.

 

But then, I freely admit to being paranoid. YMMV.

it's just a funny little contest, not some groundbreaking new exploitation of our privacy rights that will lead us into 1984, jesus christ.

How will you feel when it's embedded in the wrapper of every piece of food you buy? Every consumer product? Sown into the lining of your clothes? Yes, this is most likely just as it appears on the surface, but privacy invasion is a slippery slope. It's bad enough that the mics and gps on our increasingly ubiquitous cell phones can be activated remotely. I don't need them tracking my candy too.

 

LIke Alg, I am also a wee bit paranoid. :P

If they wanted to kill you, they'd put some kind of delayed release poison in their product and call it a day.

Watched video... And I'm creeped out now... :ohnoes:

 

~D. V. "What The F[beep]!? [bOOM]" Devnull

If they wanted to kill you, they'd put some kind of delayed release poison in their product and call it a day.

Have you ever read the ingredients list on a chocolate bar? :lol:

I'm torn between apathy and outrage but this couch is too comfy so apathy wins.

 

Meh.

This could go wrong in so many ways. I'm not sure about outrage, all of our phones have GPS technology more or less, so meh.

it's just a funny little contest, not some groundbreaking new exploitation of our privacy rights that will lead us into 1984, jesus christ.

How will you feel when it's embedded in the wrapper of every piece of food you buy? Every consumer product? Sown into the lining of your clothes? Yes, this is most likely just as it appears on the surface, but privacy invasion is a slippery slope. It's bad enough that the mics and gps on our increasingly ubiquitous cell phones can be activated remotely. I don't need them tracking my candy too.

 

LIke Alg, I am also a wee bit paranoid. :P

 

It's not a slippery slope, there isn't even a slope. This doesn't really effect anything else at all.

it's just a funny little contest, not some groundbreaking new exploitation of our privacy rights that will lead us into 1984, jesus christ.

How will you feel when it's embedded in the wrapper of every piece of food you buy? Every consumer product? Sown into the lining of your clothes? Yes, this is most likely just as it appears on the surface, but privacy invasion is a slippery slope. It's bad enough that the mics and gps on our increasingly ubiquitous cell phones can be activated remotely. I don't need them tracking my candy too.

 

LIke Alg, I am also a wee bit paranoid. :P

 

It's not a slippery slope, there isn't even a slope. This doesn't really effect anything else at all.

I mean seriously, someone knows where we are! *gasp* If you participate in the census or are listed in the phonebook it's the same thing.

Heh, to think Nestle has gone from a baby care company to a candy company (namely chocolate) and now this

Some things I've been wondering...

 

What are they going to do if their response team finds out that the person threw the wrapper in a public garbage bin and is nowhere in sight? How apparent is the GPS tracking device?

Some things I've been wondering...

 

What are they going to do if their response team finds out that the person threw the wrapper in a public garbage bin and is nowhere in sight? How apparent is the GPS tracking device?

The way I understand it, the GPS device is inside of the candy.

Some things I've been wondering...

 

What are they going to do if their response team finds out that the person threw the wrapper in a public garbage bin and is nowhere in sight? How apparent is the GPS tracking device?

The way I understand it, the GPS device is inside of the candy.

That's how I interpreted it too. So I guess you...eat the tracking device?

As long as you don't throw up any time soon, I guess you're good.

By 24 hours, wouldn't it have gotten close to "passing"? If the person in question is in a dense crowd, how accurate is it then?

Let's assume that the technological feasibilty is not questionable for this situation, I'd be very surprised if anyone managed to eat a gps tracker in a candy bar without actually noticing the GPS tracker.

 

If the above is possible, what the hell is it doing in nestle's candy bar? that should be DoD material.

@Ginger: Who's in a dense crowd for 24 hours?

 

@chenw: You'd be amazed how small technology can be these days. Not only that, but it could be made out of digestible materials as well. As long as it doesn't poison or harm a person they can put it in food.