10 Insanely Scary Marketing Pranks From Around The World

A great advertisement sells something and strikes a primal emotion. Last year, advertisers from around the world became obsessed with marketing through fear.

The trend of using a terrifying hidden camera prank to promote a product became so popular that it even got its own name, "prankvertising."

Most of the ads included in this list got tens of millions of views on YouTube, but their critics wondered if views actually translated into effective marketing.

Apparently, ad agencies believed the viral exposure was worth the risk of a prank victim not taking too kindly to the stunt, as new prankvertisements kept popping up throughout the year.

And there's even one from this month, meaning that the trend is not over just yet.

We'll take a look at some highlights, some of which are highly questionable in their attempts at horrifying people - but pretty funny nonetheless.