OnePlus, the independent manufacturer that makes the popular smartphones of the same name, has a thing for edgy marketing. Rather than splashy ad campaigns, OnePlus tends to rely on viral videos and an incrdibly annoying “invite” system. But this time, it has outdone itself.
The premise of the 90-second YouTube short is pretty simple: a chainsaw murderer emerges out of the woods, chasing an injured man. The local teen spots the chase, and rather than being concerned, she starts taking pictures on a Samsung phone. The chainsaw victim gives her a OnePlus 5 because of the better camera, and hilarity ensues.
This would be fine, apart from one tiny detail: the OnePlus 5 shipped with a bug that prevented it from calling 911 in an emergency. It’s literally the last phone in the world that you’d want to be stuck with when a deluded man with a chainsaw emerges from the woods.
It’s the most avoidable mistake in the world. Imagine if Apple put out an iPhone 4 ad a few weeks after launch showing how easy it is to hold however you want and still make phone calls, only instead of being a minor bug, it’s a serious safety problem.
