'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The temperature in London continues to decrease this winter, and recently, a video showing the iconic clock Big Ben wearing The North Face jacket has gone viral online. Although the clip appeared to be real, it was not.
Fashion company Shtreetwear took to their official X (formerly known as Twitter) account to show the Big Ben wearing a yellow and charcoal grey The North Face puffer jacket. In the eleven-second-long clip, people were seen taking a picture of the legendary clock. Someone was heard saying:
“That’s insane! That’s mad! Definitely get a pic of that.”
At the time of writing this article, the tweet had amassed over 23 million views.
The same clip was also uploaded to several other social media gossip accounts like Daily Loud where people expressed amazement. Despite the video being convincing enough, it is not real.
The North Face did not dress up Big Ben in a puffer jacket
Although netizens fell under the assumption that the popular brand had made a big effort for their latest advertising campaign, it is far from the truth. The Big Ben, which was formally called the St. Stephen’s Tower, was not dressed in winterwear in reality.
X shared a community note right under Shtreetwear’s tweet that stated:
“Video has been altered using CGI. There’s no North Face Campaign post about this.”
For those unversed, CGI stands for Computer Generated Imagery. This would mean that computer graphics are able to create different forms of art and media. With the help of CGI, one can create television shows, movies, video games, and more, which can either be 2D or 3D animations.
X’s community note explained that someone altered the video of Big Ben using CGI to make it appear as if the tower was wearing a puffer jacket in reality.
X also attached the links of The North Face’s official X accounts, to indicate that they did not create an advertising campaign by using the Big Ben in real life. The brand had not addressed the viral video on their official accounts at the time of writing this article.
Nonetheless, netizens took to the internet to express shock over the video.
“On some serious swag”: Netizens flood X with hilarious reactions after video goes viral
Internet users had a field day with the viral video. Many joked by saying that Big Ben had great fashion sense. Others were also impressed with the intricate CGI work. A few hysterical tweets read:
Although The North Face did not use CGI to promote their brand, Maybelline New York has done so in the past. In July, the cult-favorite makeup brand released a short video that advertised their Sky High Mascara. In the same, one could see a train “wearing” fake eyelashes and a giant mascara brush extending from a billboard, coating the eyelashes.
Brands like Kylie Cosmetics and Hello Kitty have also used CGI in promotional videos in the past.
