Twitter was in a state of confusion over the past weekend in South Africa, when people started reporting UFO sightings around the country. Images and videos, along with the hashtag #UFOSA, caught what appeared to be a green light hovering over Sandton, Johannesburg as well as parts of Cape Town and Durban.
The unidentified flying object was spotted on Saturday night in Cape Town, on Sunday night in Durban and has now “crash landed” in Joburg.
Of course Twitter has erupted with theories, pics and some videos as well. After much debate about what the light was, it seems the crash site in Sandton is actually a movie set, according to EWN, but it does seem a little weird that no one really knows anything about it.
And #UFOsa comes to Sandton… Hmmm pic.twitter.com/qbhKtSLSa6
— Mike Sharman (@mikesharman) December 1, 2015
While theorists suggested it to be part of a marketing campaign for HSBC Cape Town Sevens to take place in December, others naturally pointed to aliens. Now that South Africans have finally discovered the “crash site”, it seems we have finally uncovered the truth.
Fact or Fiction? Aliens spotted in Cape Town aka the "Mother City"! #UFOSA 👽 https://t.co/coRRwArqZd pic.twitter.com/yfTUrmx7fa
— Leandri Janse van Vuuren (@Lean3JvV) November 29, 2015
A “crash site” was discovered in Sandton on Monday morning, with what seemed like a flying saucer surrounded by a group of surveyors wearing hazmat suits and a film crew.
This scene would look waaaaaaay different if this thing crashed in Soweto. #UFOSA pic.twitter.com/1yKEOJDmxh
— Donovan Goliath (@DonovanGoliath) December 1, 2015
If you were caught up in the UFO excitement this morning, here’s what really happened.
The smouldering UFO and crew of crime scene investigators didn’t form part of a movie. Instead, it was staged as part of an advert campaign.
Traffic came to a standstill on the corners of Sandton and William Nicol drives during peak hour traffic, as motorists and pedestrians slowed down to gawk at what appeared to be the scene of a crime or an accident.
The smouldering wreckage also created a frenzy on social media, leaving many sceptical of the authorities’ claims that it was merely the scene of a film shoot.
To the disappointment of conspiracy theorists and District 9 diehards though, #UFOSA appears to be part of an elaborate marketing campaign by Clover and FutureLife, to promote a new “on-the-go smart snack” called Smart Drink.
We’re at the #UFOSA site. Look what we found! Introducing Smart Drink from Clover & Future Life! pic.twitter.com/Jna16yIImN
— Smart Drink SA (@SmartDrinkSA) December 1, 2015
And here’s the final product!
The Smart drink of the future from Clover and Futurelife has landed. #UFOSA #JoziLanding pic.twitter.com/Ggd1YJ2ySZ
— Smart Drink SA (@SmartDrinkSA) December 1, 2015
The amazing agency behind the PR stunt was Joe Public Engage. The clever marketing campaign has been a buzz on social media with the #UFOSA hashtag trending the entire weekend & has already reached over 9 million people!
Clever….VERY Clever. Well done Joe Public United on the #UFOSA campaign” – Franco D”Onofrio
Just a regular few days for our #PR team 💅💅💅 #UFOSA #Clover #EngageJoePublic pic.twitter.com/b2rshCsOgQ
— Keri-Ann Stanton (@KAmuses) December 1, 2015
