The Bahamas
Last month, the world was treated to the story of the debacle that was Fyre Festival in the form of two competing documentaries from Hulu and Netflix that took a closer look at what went down in the Bahamas on that fateful weekend in 2017.
I knew a lot about Fyre Festival heading into the films but wasn’t prepared for some of the stories contained within them—the most notable of which has to be the anecdote relayed by the now-famous Andy King about a proposed trade concerning a truck filled with water.
The film also highlighted some stories that had largely gone ignored, including a local caterer who found herself screwed out of her life savings thanks to Fyre Festival (she’d eventually get it back in the form of donations but not before demanding an absurd amount of money from Ja Rule).
It’s safe to say the people of the Bahamas were not exactly thrilled with how Fyre Festival played out which is why I was taken aback a bit when I was recently watching television and came across a commercial designed to lure tourists to the country after forgetting to hit fast-forward on my DVR.
I felt like I’d seen the ad before but couldn’t figure exactly where until it finally clicked and I realized the video in question was shockingly similar to the promo Fyre Festival had used to stir up hype when orange squares started popping up on Instagram.
While it’s not a carbon copy by any means, I was honestly blown away by the similarities.
Let’s start off with the idyllic aerial shots of lush islands
The Bahamas
Fyre
Sure, that’s par for the course when it comes to promoting an island getaway but we’re just getting started.
They also each have their own blurry shot of a small plane.
The Bahamas
Fyre
OK. So what? You need a plane to travel around the Bahamas, right?
How about the pigs? Are pigs really that big of a selling point?
The Bahamas
Fyre
It’s unclear if anyone in these videos was bitten in the ass by any animals while they were being filmed.
Of course, no promotional video is complete without someone turning and smiling to the camera in front of a scenic background.
The Bahamas
Fyre
Oh? What’s that? You wanted an aerial shot of boats? I’ve got some great news for you!
The Bahamas
Fyre
I’m sure the Bahamas has more to offer than shitty sandwiches and water-logged tents but it’s still a very interesting strategy as far as marketing is concerned.