'Gabby Wonderland' - I Hope Everyone Has Seen this

[David M]

YouTube - Gabby Wonderland tries to use her Iridium phone as she sails around the globe

[Ex-Calif]

Ha, ha - Too funny...

[Sunspot Baby]

This is staged! Twice the camera panned without her holding it. Once when she said you can see the California coast, and then when she threw the phone.

Satellite phones have a reliability problems, but faking a video is deceit. This should have been clearly identified as a commercial.

George

[Hud3]

The maker of the video included this commentary...

Will Gabby Wonderland's Iridium sat phone fail her -- YET AGAIN?

In June of 2010, the world thought that Abby Sunderland was dead because her Iridium phone failed her in her most desperate time of need. TUNE IN to see if her cousin, Gabby, meets with the same fate.

Bon voyage, Gabby. Bon voyage.

Gabby Wonderland <===> Abby Sunderland

Not too subtle satire, but definitely not a commercial.

[MarkJ]

Yeah, Loved it!
"Grandma, I'm sailing round the world...." but the sails wern't up. Great stuff

Great concept. They shoulda let rip. The tag line shows it was some type of competition for Iridium...

[Sunspot Baby]

Hud:

Then who is panning the camera? Why does she say she should have purchased a different system at the end.

George

[witzgall]

I would have done this differently. Showed her painting her toenails, and then dad telling her step by step everything to do over the phone. Pull the pink line, now walk up to the stick thingy and ....

Would have been much funnier in my opinion - not that I think that is what was going on in real life...

Chris

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Sunspot Baby

Then who is panning the camera?

George. thats whats funny. Its a solo voyage.
Its humour (humor) satire, a send-up etc.

They are viral marketing campagnes. They get young filmmakers to spend their own creative resourses making spoof films that is funny enough go round the internet helping to advertise the marketer. In this case Iridium.

The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition That sort of stuff

[TaoJones]

Better watch it again, Mark. Iridium is the butt of the joke, Inmarsat is the hero of this viral spoof - the sat phone she should have used the first time is the subtle message.

The irony is that her Iridium phone may have worked fine, and that she and her father were in communication immediately after the dismasting. The decision may have been made that they would play up the "young girl lost at sea" angle for all it was worth to heighten the drama and interest.

Though the Los Angeles Times has asked repeatedly for the phone log from the time of the dismasting and its immediate aftermath, Laurence Sunderland has so far refused. If he was in contact with Abby all along, Iridium is getting a bum rap for the "communication breakdown."

TaoJones

[zeehag]

makes a good funny tho--really emphasized the kali val girl affect....was fun....

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

If he was in contact with Abby all along, Iridium is getting a bum rap for the "communication breakdown."

TaoJones

wow. If he was in contact with her all along that Quantas bill the Aussies were kind enough to foot is looking pretty steep...

[David M]

What else was funny was getting on an expensive sat phone when less than a mile from land where a much less expensive cell phone would have worked.

[Ex-Calif]

What was funny was that having sponsors and not having any idea of the costs of the voyage it was no big deal to toss a multi thousand dollar phone overboard in a tantrum.

(OK - Bit@hy mode off - LOL)

PS - "Great Day for sailing" = 2 miles in 3 calls (= 3 hours) - I think not. Might have made better way with the sails up - LOL...