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Giant crab 'a publicity stunt' [TradeArabia](TradeArabia Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Hoax claims that a giant crab had been spotted in Bahrain were nothing more than a publicity stunt, it has emerged. The Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication, recently reported on advertising and marketing agency Ogilvy and Mather's assertion that a crab called 'Portunus Giganticus'?? had allegedly been spotted off the coast of Sitra. Supposedly, the monster crustacean measured 5m across and weighed upwards of 50kg - bigger than any species of crab ever recorded. Speaking exclusively to the GDN, former president of the Sitra-based Bahrain Fishermen's Society Waheed Al Dossary debunked the claims immediately - although it was not initially clear why the hoax had been orchestrated. Oglivy and Mather refused to comment, but as one eagle-eyed reader pointed out in a letter published in the GDN on Sunday 'the name of the so-called eminent Madagascan expert professor Cigam Dnalsi'??, who was reportedly visiting Bahrain to study the crabs, 'would appear to spell 'Island Magic' backwards'??. Further investigation was obviously required, and an advertisement printed on page five of the GDN yesterday appeared to hold the answer. The advert, which showed a family of four interacting with an oversized, computer-generated image of a crab, was taken out by none other than Seef Properties '" the owner and operator of Seef Mall. Seef Mall boasts a large indoor amusement park called 'Magic Island'??, which has been undergoing a revamp and is due to reopen on August 30 - so it would appear the mystery has been solved. However, neither Seef Properties nor Oglivy and Mather responded to a request for comment. - TradeArabia News Service ? (c) 2014 Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |