A Vancouver performance artist is catching the world’s attention for his success at selling a miracle “Hot Dog Water” that’s no miracle at all.
Douglas Bevans says he wanted to conduct a social experiment to see how gullible people would be in buying something with completely made up benefits.
"It just had me scratching my head,” said Douglas Bevans. “And I thought to myself, 'I could sell hot dog water.'"
So he boiled about 100 organic beef hot dogs and put each one in a bottle of water. He then set up a booth at Main Street’s Car Free Day and satirically touted amazing health benefits. The "unfiltered" product sold quickly for $37.99 each or two for $75.
Some customers have even contacted him thanking him for the amazing results.
“We’ve had people that have sent us pictures of hair returning after applying it for only a week. Crow’s feet. You name it. It’s a miracle product really,” he said before raising a concern about possible side effects. “You don’t want to drink it with Viagra.”
He sold about 60 litres of Hot Dog Water in all, and his story quickly went viral. Bevans has been contacted by media outlets from all over the world.
"I thought there might be some media locally, but this whole experience has just been overwhelming for me,” he said.
Ultimately, Bevans wants people to think more critically about the hype surrounding the products they buy.
“I think Douglas is trying to point out that consumers are falling for claims made on labels without considering the nutritional facts or ingredients. And you really can’t blame them,” said BCIT Marketing Instructor Tracey Renzullo. “With all the information out there, it’s confusing to decipher what’s good or what’s bad for us. So as a result, we take the easy route and believe the benefit promised to us.”
Bevans used distinctive VOSS-brand water bottles and slick labelling to market his Hot Dog Water, something Renzullo says is an easy way to gain a customer’s trust.
“Labels are an opportunity for marketers to be as compelling as possible, convincing us to buy. In this case, Douglas used the already trusted VOSS bottle in his experiment. That instantly built credibility with the consumer, even if they didn’t recognize it,” she said.
Basking in the glow of all the media attention he’s getting, Bevans considers his experiment a success.
"The next time you are in the grocery aisle, and you've got some fancy sounding, sciency-blingy product, take a moment to reflect,” he said. “And ask yourself, is this hot dog water?"
With files from Ben Miljure
