While other brands were posting hamfisted tributes to singular musical artist Prince, the social team behind Hasbroâs Monopoly went a different direction Thursday: They orchestrated a Facebook Live event in which a human man defeats two potatoes in a game of dexterity.
Like nearly all previous Facebook Live events, this one was very bad, unless you evaluate it as a musicless music video for Lil Wayneâs classic jam âGot Money,â feat. T-Pain.Â
In fact, the lack of either music or dialogue is the creepiest thing about it. Without them, all you can hear are the chilling sounds of people dressed as Rich Uncle Pennybags and the Potatoheads slapping hopelessly at another Hasbro property, Hungry Hungry Hippos.Â
Thereâs no compelling reason to make this event âlive,â because whatever it would gain in suspenseânothing, because there are no stakesâit loses in editing. And a little editing would go a long way here.
These are early days for Facebook Live, and itâs the first time Hasbro has used it. Companies that promote things (so, all companies) have the sense that they should be using Live, but they donât yet know what to use it for. However, one way to find out is by hurling employees, sometimes interns, at a cameraâand seeing which ones stick.
Imagine caring about the outcome of a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos played by Hasbro characters. You canât. Or, if you can, you canât do it without being mad that Pennybags gets to use his real hands while the potatoes just have to flail their huge flappers. Come on!
Itâll be really cool when this two-minute video gets turned into a hundred-million-dollar motion picture, though. At least itâll get a better Rotten Tomatoes score than Ouija did (7 percent).Â
Hasbro did not respond to a request for comment on whatever this is.
