You may have heard about the controversy surrounding the Netflix launch event in Toronto. As part of the event to announce the availability of the video streaming service in Canada, Netflix apparently hired a number of actors to mingle among the crowd of those gathered. These hired actors were told to act as if they were regular people, but they were to show an extra level of excitement over the announcement.

This would give the crowd a artificially-inflated level of energy and it would make the launch event seem more exciting than it really was. These actors then spoke with reporters, still under false pretenses, saying how excited they were about the launch of Netflix Canada. This was very disconcerting for several individuals on moral grounds.

While I imagine that such practices aren’t exactly uncommon, they can still reflect very poorly on the companies that do partake in such strategies. There is nothing wrong with hosting a major event to launch a new product, but to hire actors to speak positively of the product may be seen as unethical. If Netflix wanted an increased level of buzz, they could have gone about it a different way.

Say, for instance, if they hosted a contest on Twitter or some other social media platform. This can increase word of mouth interest in the product, because people would be talking about Netflix with the hopes of winning some sort of prize. They could have had similar giveaways at the live event. This would help to make people feel excited and engaged in a more natural way. What are your thoughts? Is the hiring of actors unacceptable for such events?