NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- LocalMaven, a start-up in New York City that's looking to transform the referral industry, has released a risque video to make a serious point about the disappointment many people feel with on-line deal sites and coupons.
"We wanted to shock people and make the point that today's online deals aren't what they used to be," says Arnon Rosan, CEO of LocalMaven. "Perhaps we crossed the line a bit, but it's difficult to get attention as a start-up today and we felt we needed do something dramatic to stand out," he added.
LocalMaven worked with Bryan Reisberg, an award winning director and producer from Uncorked Productions. Mr. Reisberg recently released a powerful anti-bullying video entitled Champions Against Bullying: Too Late that has received over 450,000 views on YouTube. The company gave Mr. Reisberg creative license to push the limits and create something unique, though admits to being uncomfortable about the final product.
"When you push the limit, it makes people uncomfortable" says Rachel Grossman, LocalMaven's Digital Marketing Manager. "We really wanted to shed light on the reality of today's broken deal model and to have a chance at being heard in today's digital world, you have to break some rules. The final product was certainly out of our comfort zone, but in the end, starting a new conversation is what is most important," she added.
"I wanted to update an antiquated way of thinking, similar to what LocalMaven is doing," says Mr. Reisberg, the director. "I instantly thought of updating the hilarious premise of Risky Business, with all of the uncomfortable situations I've been in with Groupon, like bringing a crumpled piece of paper to a high-end restaurant and not exactly getting what you're (not) paying for. It just became a funny idea that we ran with," he added.
Bryan shot the LocalMaven Risky Business video at a friend's house, styled to look like the home used in the original Risky Business movie. Reisberg used the concept of a coming of age boy meeting a prostitute from a daily deal site, along with similar imagery and music from the original movie to capture the same feeling one gets when watching the popular 1980's pop culture film.
The team at LocalMaven thought about removing the final scene, which contains sexual innuendo and graphic content, for fear of crossing the line, but ultimately decided it really captured the disappointment people have with online deals today.
"I'm sure we will get a lot of flack for this video, but our goal is to get people talking and if this video achieves that, then it will have been worth taking the risk," says Mr. Rosan. "You have to take risks if you want to succeed in any online business today," he concluded.
The video can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F47P9nObWI
Press Contact: Arnon Rosan – 646-681-6551, [email protected]
SOURCE LocalMaven
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