You may want to file this one under, there’s no such thing as bad publicity: The Atlanta Hawks using Ashley Madison to launch an ad campaign to sell its 10-game flex pass.
The campaign comes more than a month after hackers claimed to have released data stolen Ashley Madison, a dating site catering to people looking for affairs.
According to a press statement posted by Associated Press reporter Tim Reynolds on Twitter, these ads are just getting started.
“The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club announced today that they have signed three real-life people named Ashley Madison to promote the team’s new flex plans,” the statement reads. “Fans are encouraged to start a new love affair with the team by customizing their own unique ticket plan to ensure they are at all the top games during the 2015-16 season.”
One ad features a woman named Ashley Madison, seductively looking into the camera and cooing, “Feel the rush of a new relationship…with the Atlanta Hawks Flex Plan…10 nights of unadulterated excitement, and don’t worry, your old team never has to know.”
It’s your garden-variety newsjacking effort, but the timing is a bit off. The Hawks’ message may have gotten more wings if the team launched the campaign when Ashley Madison was getting media coverage for days at a time.
But the PR stunt has its merits, in terms of many consumers being aware of Ashley Madison due to its controversial proposition.
The Hawks start their season Oct. 27, when they play the Detroit Pistons.
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