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CREATIVITY

This tech ad parody is so spot-on, we almost refuse to believe it’s not real

The fake ad for “The Lookout” is pretty funny–until you consider how quickly you would probably end up buying it.

BY Joe Berkowitz1 minute read

What: A fake ad that is depressingly accurate.

Who: Designer and filmmaker Alex Cornell.

Why we care: Here’s how much people are addicted to their phones: Studies show that putting them down more often might lead to increased life expectancy, which apparently isn’t enticing enough. People would rather die sooner than spend more phone-free time alive!

In a new parody ad, designer Alex Cornell makes fun of our ever-increasing smartphone dependency, using the language of tech advertising so precisely that some viewers might not even realize it’s a parody.

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Lookout is ostensibly an extendable camera users can place on the back of their phones, which projects a streaming feed of what’s directly in front of them. Finally, a way to walk down the street without ever looking up from one’s phone! The unfortunate utility of this app is what makes the fake ad such effective satire. Lookout makes a mockery not only of our device addiction, but the way the tech world approaches problem-solving altogether. Do people seem almost debilitatingly attached to their phones, so much so that they’re never more than a hairsbreadth away from accidentally walking into a manhole? Why not make it easier to look at their phones longer! (For a small fee, of course.)

Watch the sadly spot-on ad for Lookout below:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Berkowitz is an opinion columnist at Fast Company. His latest book, American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World, is available from Harper Perennial. More


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