Marketing in today's day and age can be tricky. It's never been easy to break through the noise in advertising, but today's marketers are competing with people at the top of their game.
Residents of Santa Monica, California, were met with an unusual sight earlier this week when a bus full of people dressed as Homer Simpson poured into the streets. The visit appeared to be part of a promotional stunt for the newly launched “Fortnite x Simpsons” season of the popular online game, whose recent update introduced a Springfield-themed island.
Leaning into Homer’s well-known love of donuts, the costumed crowd gathered outside a Santa Monica donut shop, quickly drawing a crowd of puzzled bystanders and amused fans.
According to digital artist and X user @TheCartelDel, who captured the phenomenon and shared it on X, nobody warned the locals that this would happen.
He wrote:
“I’m guessing the Fortnite x Simpsons event is the reason a literal bus load of Homer’s just got dropped off in Santa Monica—without any prior warning."
Dozens of Homers mingled with locals, posed for selfies, danced for cameras, and waved at passing cars. Some attendees dressed as other well-known characters, including Otto the bus driver and a banana-themed version of Professor Frink. Even The Simpsons creator Matt Groening made an appearance, drawing even more attention from fans who recognized him.
Additional footage posted by Santa Monica Closeup shows an extended look at the gathering, capturing the chaos and the crowds that quickly formed around the costumed visitors.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Folks had some thoughts about that many Homers.
Folks felt bad for the people at the donut shop who had to deal with all the Homers.
Many folks saw this for what it was and wanted to congratulate the marketing team.
The Fortnite update is sure to be hotly anticipated, that's for sure.
