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Agency tricks DHL's rivals into delivering color-changing ads in disguise

Agency tricks DHL's rivals into delivering color-changing ads in disguise

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DHL trojan ad
DHL trojan ad

Shipping service DHL managed to pull a fast one on its competitors with a little help from some temperature-sensitive packaging, and it has turned the whole thing into a delightfully mean-spirited commercial. The new ad, which was spotted by Gizmodo, shows boxes taped up with a temperature-sensitive foil that's completely black when frozen, but turns clear when warmed up. Those frozen boxes were sent to difficult locations through several rival companies, causing the delivery people to struggle, all while advertising "DHL is faster" in large, red letters right on the box. It's unclear whether DHL would be any better at the same task, though the company says it has more facilities, employees, and vehicles than rivals in "many" countries.

Update: DHL has issued a statement to Consumerist noting that it was not responsible for the advert. The clip was apparently produced by an external agency for an internal competition, and DHL says it was "not aware of any plans to share it externally." The full statement follows.

This was not something that was initiated by DHL ... The video was created by an external agency for their own internal competition. We were aware in advance of the intention to use it for this purpose. We were not aware of any plans to share it externally.