If there ever was a phone meant to push your fanciful thinking to its limit, then it has to be the Pomegranate Phone. Just consider the kind of technologies it offers — a phone capable of translating whatever you might say into any universal language, along with a mini-projector incorporated for presentations or movies and it is supposed to be as effective as musical instrument, i.e. the harmonica!
However, the fact is that The Pomegranate is an innovative online ad campaign approach that tries to engage browser attraction through representing something absolutely wacky, i.e. an ‘all-in-one’ mobile gadget. If you do happen to browse the official website of the Pomegranate, you will be welcomed by a number of comic features, complete with video projectors and an attention-grabbing presentation style.
To the unsuspecting victim, the advertising strategy keeps the actual intention of promoting Nova Scotia well-disguised. The slightly smarter people are able to detect that there is something seriously fishy as The Pomegranate’s website ‘Explore’ tab takes you to a list of features like it being a Coffee Brewer and Shaver. Yes, that is how bizarre the supposed ‘features’ of The Pomegranate are, i.e. you can use your smartphone for getting a cup of fresh black coffee or for trimming your two day old stubble!
However, as you click on the right-hand side tab of ‘Release date’ or on the option of ‘I've seen enough’ a window pops up, displaying the true intention of the Pomegranate — ads about Nova Scotia start getting listed displayed. In a way, this ad campaign is doing what it was supposed to deliver — create an online advertising campaign that could attract a lot of web traffic and hence tourism interest towards Nova Scotia and present it as an appropriate site to set-up a business enterprise, visit for a vacation or even settle down for life.
At the outset, it may appear that The Pomegranate Phone tries to mislead you and the more serious individuals might perceive it as being mocked-at but the fact is that the bogus product presentation along with the comically shot videos (courtesy of Journeyman Films) is nothing more than a light-hearted and somewhat desperate attempt to introduce browsers to Nova Scotia's “Come To Life” tourism campaign.
The skeptics have called it a viral ad campaign and a gag-ad trying to peddle something that doesn't even exist. However, the Government of Nova Scotia, that spent a whopping spending $300,000 on this seemingly absurd campaign, has seen their website attract a lot of online traffic since its launch on September 30, 2008. Thus, in a way, The Pomegranate has delivered what it was meant to do and if that leaves a few people, laughing at the ridiculousness of the entire concept then there is nothing wrong with it.