Discovery asks viewers: Can Michael Phelps win in a race with a shark?

With network TV series on hiatus, summer has always been an ideal time for special, gimmicky aired events.

It’s also the time Discovery airs its bread-and-butter “Shark Week.”

What better way to kick it off than with an old-fashioned special featuring one of America’s most beloved athletes, Michael Phelps, racing one of the ocean’s most fearsome beasts?

That’s where “Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White” comes in.

The segment, which ran Sunday night, was by most accounts was a clever way to kick off Shark Week. It built hype, but it had one flaw: Phelps didn’t actually race a real shark. It was computer generated, which didn’t sit well with viewers that didn’t read (or listen to) the fine print:

Turns out 'Michael Phelps races a shark' was really 'Michael Phelps swims alone and compares his time to a CGI shark’s time.'

Disgusted.

— Jack Saunders (@JaackSaunders) July 24, 2017

i spent 60 minutes of my life watching a build up to michael phelps race a fake computer generated shark. i'm pissed

— spo (@spoyourboat) July 24, 2017

Michael Phelps race against a computer generated shark will go down as one of TV's most hyped flops. #gullibleTVviewers

— PhantomAcct (@phantomacct) July 24, 2017

Though some viewers were disappointed—and the show probably won’t be mentioned in many of the annals of TV history—it was an effective piece of content marketing.

[RELATED: Learn how to create content that makes a difference to your bottom line at the Brand Storytelling and Content Marketing Conference at The Coca-Cola Company.]

The point was never to actually see whether a human could swim faster than a shark. Simple math tells you that a human, whose top swimming speed is around 6 mph could never beat a 25-mph shark. Plus, Phelps is a dad. Do you think he’s going to hop in a swimming pool with an actual man eater?

Instead, the spectacle was Discovery’s way to inspire social media users’ imaginations and get them to start thinking about sharks. That way, they’re more likely to tune into “Shark Week.”

It worked: There was a ton of chatter leading up to it, including several pieces of clever user-generated content:

Everyone is waiting for McGregor &
Mayweather. I'm all like I want to see @MichaelPhelps race a shark! #SharkWeek #SharkWeek2017 http://pic.twitter.com/83gc6f0dIk

— Laura Dye (@LauraMDye) July 24, 2017

Watching #PhelpsVsShark, with a dog dressed as a shark, while wearing shark socks. Excitement is real. #SaveSharks #SharkWeek @SharkWeek http://pic.twitter.com/D6PH35SiGS

— Elizabeth Banks (@mosleybanks13) July 24, 2017

Reporter: Why were you so mad?
Phelps: Someone said I couldn't beat a shark in a race #SharkWeek http://pic.twitter.com/9EkBLTO18p

— Kyle Jarrett (@KyleJarrett32) July 24, 2017

Here’s a taste of the actual 60-minute special:

The moment of glory for #TeamShark!!! #PhelpsVsShark #SharkWeek http://pic.twitter.com/NWYp1CwiRa

— Shark Week (@SharkWeek) July 24, 2017

If you’re Discovery’s competition, Nat Geo Wild, how do you compete with the behemoth that has become “Shark Week?” You embrace your second-tier status.

The channel, which is National Geographic’s sister brand, released a tongue-in-cheek spot featuring U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte (of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics scandal and “Dancing with the Stars” redemption):

The commercial promoted its “SharkFest” programming. At time of publication, it has more than 8,300 views on on its website, and 22,461 views on YouTube.

What do you think of the marketing gambits, PR Daily readers?

(Image via)

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