With the help of boutique interactive agency, Campfire, Gawker Media convinced members of the trade press that it acquired a blog by and for vampires named “Blood Copy”.

The blog was not actually real, but meant to be more of a slick advertorial for the second season of HBO’s True Blood (which is, if you haven’t figured out yet, about vampires).

Among those fooled into posting about the fake news was popular NYC tech scene blog, Silicon Alley Insider, which released the statement below:

“We also think that HBO, Gawker, and the marketing agency crossed a line … We’re all for experimental online advertising, viral marketing, etc. … In our opinion, however, this campaign is designed to trick people.”

The verdict is out on this one.  Is the stunt groundbreaking creative work, or unethical and defiant?

-Maria