In an absolutely bizarre new marketing move, Applebee's and its advertising agency, CP+B, have decided to step away from food for a minute to make, market, and sell blow-up dolls.
But really—you can actually buy them for $6.99 (plus shipping and handling) on Amazon.
The dolls, which are officially called "Inflatable Lunch Decoys," are the stars of Applebee's new commercial (watch above) that encourages workers to escape their cubicles at lunchtime and have a full lunch at their favorite chain restaurant. "It's your inflatable ticket to the lunch you deserve." There's a micro-site, as well.
The most awkward aspect of this endeavor is not the part of the ad in which a co-worker asks a blow-up doll out to drinks by the water cooler, it's that Applebee's has actually mass-produced six ethnically diverse male and female blow-up dolls made from "state of the art balloon-based technology."
"The Overachiever"
"The Cubicle Queen"
"The Self-Starter"
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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