Last weekend, Vancouver's Car Free Day festival was packed with food vendors and merchant stands, but there was one stand in particular that stood out.
Man Sells 'Hot Dog Water' For $38 A Bottle
A tent selling a refreshing bottle of "Hot Dog Water" drew more attention than the rest at the annual festival. However, instead of turning away and running in horror, dozens of festivalgoers actually paid $38 Canadian dollars for a bottle of the stuff, which converts to about $28 in U.S. dollars.
The stall also offered a Father's Day special deal of two bottles for $75 Canadian dollars. In addition to the Hot Dog Water, Hot Dog Water lip balm, breath spray, and body fragrance were some of the other items being sold at the stall.
A festival in Vancouver is selling bottled hot dog water for $38. Look out, Kombucha, there's a new millennial drink fad brewing. pic.twitter.com/EeWPztE4LM — Sexy Ben (@browland1) June 21, 2018
Promoted As A Drink For The Health Conscious
The seller, Douglas Bevans, promoted the product, which is essentially a bottle of water with a wiener inside, as a health drink. The Keto-friendly and gluten-free hot dog water promised to help one lose weight, increase brain function, make one look younger, and improve overall vitality
"The protein of the Hot Dog Water helps your body uptake the water content, and the sodium and all the things you'd need post-workout," Bevans told Global News. He added that the recipe was the result of a lot of research conducted by several people with a science background.
"Hot Dog Water is the NEW coconut water!" read one of the testimonials at the stall, by "Nobel Prize-winning nutritionist" Cynthia Dringus.
Nothing More Than A Stunt
Although Bevans might have convinced some people, they were in for a rude awakening when he later revealed that it was all just a gimmick. The point was to urge people to think harder about the health products they purchase and consume.
"Hot Dog Water in its absurdity hopes to encourage critical thinking related to product marketing and the significant role it can play in our purchasing choices," reads the print on the bottle.
However, the stunt didn't come cheap. Bevans spent about $1,200 on bottles, labels, branding, and other costs. He said that while some people realized it was a stunt, some of it was left very confused, but he still managed to sell about 60 liters of the stuff.
Bevans hopes that next time, people will think twice before shelling out $80 on a bottle of "smart water," or anything else that doesn't really have proper scientific backing but is just marketed well.
