Remember last year when the Discovery Channel lied about their Shark Week megalodon movie being a documentary? Looks like they’re trying to one-up themselves this year with another “documentary,” and they just owned up to being behind the above video as a marketing ploy with Nissan.

In a press release from Bell Media PR, Discovery admits being behind what they call a “widely-circulated video of a shark swimming in Lake Ontario” (above) as a marketing effort to promote this years fake Shark Week documentary In Search of Canada’s Rogue Shark sponsored by the Nissan Rogue. Get it! Rogue Shark! Rogue Car! SYNERGY!

The whole premise of Rogue Shark appears to be “Hey, let’s go look for sharks and pretend like there’s any real chance we’ll find them in Lake Ontario and let’s call it Rogue Shark so Nissan will sponsor it.”

Part of the press release reads:

The campaign was developed for Nissan by Bell Media’s Brand Partnership team and in collaboration with Nissan’s marketing partners, OMD and TBWA. Dubbed “In Search of Canada’s Rogue Shark,” it covers the rugged Canadian terrain – in a Nissan Rogue, of course — [Editor’s Note: OF COURSE – Glen] from the Pacific to the Atlantic, from the Bay of Fundy to the St. Lawrence – and even the Great Lakes – to understand these amazing fish and create awareness for the Canadian shark population…if it does indeed exist here.

Pssssst… hey…. Discovery Channel… come here a second, friend.

Stop doing shit like this. Stop making things up. We live on an incredible planet with no shortage of wonderful and amazing things you can make documentaries about. You don’t need to produce fiction or drum up hacky viral marketing ploys.

I get it. Shark Week is a big deal for you, and you always feel like you have to top yourself with something impressive and it gets harder every year. But you know what’s impressive? Actual sharks. They’re fascinating. You know how I know? Because you produced incredible content about them for years.

People watch your channel to discover the world they live in. You’re not The Syfy Channel. This isn’t Sharknado. Stop it. You’re better than this.

At least you used to be.

(via Bell Media PR)

Previously in shark lies from Discovery

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