Actors Paid to Line up for iPhones in Poland

The world was buzzing when the new iPhone launched, but surprise…some of that buzz wasn’t authentic. 

Remember all those lines of people waiting outside retail stores, sometimes sleeping there overnight, to get their hands on a precious new iPhone on the first day it launched?  Turns out, not all of those people were truly salivating for a new iPhone.

According to an article on The Register, mobile carrier Orange Poland paid actors to line up outside its 20 stores throughout Poland to, “warm up the atmosphere around the launch of the iPhone.” 

This is unfortunate for Apple whose customers are typically considered loyal and even called fanatical.  To hear their beloved brand needed to hire actors to pretend they were interested in the company’s newest “it” product is not good.  While I don’t think the news will ultimately hurt Apple sales, it does leave a bad taste in one’s mouth where the integrity of the brand is concerned, even if the actors were hired by Orange Poland, not Apple.

What do you think?

Image: Flickr