BANNER TESTING
2024
The magical world of Willy Wonka, based on the famous film, was the inspiration for the “Willy's Chocolate Experience” event, which was promoted on the website with images generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI). It promised an enchanted garden, a twilight tunnel, and a laboratory of imagination, but what it actually delivered was a big surprise, precisely because of the fiasco they encountered at the venue.
Parents paid £35 for tickets to an almost empty industrial warehouse with no decorations, low-resolution posters, a bouncy castle in one corner, and actors in cheap costumes reciting scripts also generated by AI. To top it all off, the children received two sweets and a glass of lemonade, but no chocolate. The angry and disappointed parents called the police, demanding an immediate refund of their money, which led to the event being shut down within hours. This did not prevent the images, complaints, criticism, and mockery from going viral on social media, with the event being compared to the Fyre Festival. It also reached the international media, and the organizer had no choice but to admit that he had used AI to promote the event. A disaster on a surreal level.
Additional info:
BBC News - Willy Wonka experience: How did the viral sensation go so wrong?
The New York Times - At Willy Wonka Event in Glasgow, Police Called and Families Disappointed
Business Insider - Willy Wonka-Esque Event Advertised With AI-Style Images Was a Total Disaster