Mount Everest Ascent by 85-year-old British Woman - Worldwide Guessing Game Now Over
Seon (ots)
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http://www.presseportal.ch/de/story.htx?firmaid=100004679 -85-year-old British Woman to climb Everest - with her Dachshund, Daisy! This story has been making headlines around the world in newspapers, internet chat rooms, on the radio and on news portals. It has been revealed that the plan by 85-year-old Mary Woodbridge from Great Britain is nothing other than an extraordinary publicity stunt by mountain sports specialist Mammut. The Swiss quality leader in technical alpine clothing and gear is causing a sensation in order to draw attention to the quality of its products. In a global viral and cross-media campaign, Mammut is warning mountain sports and climbing fanatics of the dangers of using its equipment, which, it cautions, is so good that it can cause loss of common sense - you only have to look at Mary, who bought herself a Mammut jacket and suddenly found herself wanting to conquer Mount Everest.
The Story
Mary Woodbridge likes to take her dog for a daily walk, and buys herself a Mammut jacket to keep the wind and rain off. This completely untrained lowlander suddenly gets it into her head to climb Mount Everest - accompanied by her Dachshund, Daisy, and without oxygen or Sherpas. She announced the completely dotty venture late last December via her website www.mary-woodbridge.co.uk. Her self-produced videos are especially worth seeing: they show her training with Daisy, her fans urging her on enthusiastically. To help bring her plans to fruition and raise the profile of her website, Mary Woodbridge asked a number of mountain sports goods manufacturers last January whether they would be prepared to sponsor her, and she has been getting hints and tips from users of mountain sports forums around the world.
Global Guessing Game
News of the 85-year-old's Everest venture has spread like wildfire and Mary Woodbridge, her plans and her amusing website have quickly become famous: media from around the planet all report on the crazy undertaking and the lunatic website. The mountain sports fraternity is in two minds: should the elderly lady's venture be applauded, or should the men in white coats be called? The comments posted on the forums around the world and at www.mary-woodbridge.co.uk are great fun and show that the target audience has taken the dottiness of Mary Woodbridge to its collective bosom.
Puzzle Solved
The Mary Woodbridge phenomenon is what is known as a mockumentary, a fictive story presented as if it were a documentary. We chose this approach in order to reach the hardcore climbing and mountaineering scene, which is hard to get at using conventional advertising, explained Mammut Chief Marketing Officer, Michael Gyssler. We are delighted to have been able to use the entertaining Mary Woodbridge character to demonstrate that our products are indeed so good that using them can cause loss of common sense. Visitors to www.mary-woodbridge.co.uk are immediately made aware of Mammut warning notices, cautioning them not to emulate Mary Woodbridge: Warning: Equipment this good can cause loss of common sense!
Contact:
Mammut Sports Group AG
Katharina HabermannEditor Public Relations / Web
Mammut Sports Group AG
Industriestrasse Birren
CH-5703 Seon
Tel.: +41/62/769'81'25
Fax: +41/62/769'82'47
E-Mail: khabermann@mammut.ch
Internet: www.mammutsportsgroup.ch