Local takoyaki store admits April Fools’ ‘tattoo disaster’ was scripted
Local food brand Taragis admitted that the April Fools’ “tattoo disaster” that made the rounds on social media was scripted and elaborately planned.
In a video entry dubbed “Taragis The Revelation,” owner Carl Quion said that they thought of the idea as early as April Fools’ Day in 2023 with the hope of creating some noise and buzz for his takoyaki brand. “Kailangan ay maging involved ang maraming tao rito para kumalat sa buong Pilipinas,” he recalled.
In August 2023, he asked a tattoo artist to help him look for someone who was willing to get their logo inked on their forehead. “Ang plano ay kumuha ng isang tao na kayang magsakripisyo sa gagawing act na ito,” he said, adding that he promised to give whoever it would be a hundred thousand pesos.
“Bakit sa noo? Dahil kung hindi sa noo ay mawawalan lang ng saysay ang tattoo dahil wala nang nakakawili pa sa isang brand logo na nakatatak sa noo ng isang tao,” he explained.
The search didn’t take long as they were able to find one later in the day: 47-year-old Facebook user Ramil Albano.
As seen in screenshots shared by Carl, Ramil said he was willing to do it for his son who has special needs. When asked whether he could regret it in the future, he said, “Okay lang—para sa anak ko.”
Ramil got Taragis’ logo tattooed on his forehead as agreed in March. Carl said they didn’t allow him to step out of the house so their plan wouldn’t get spoiled in any way.
Come April 1, Taragis shared the poster of their challenge on their Facebook page and asked their followers to click it for the full mechanics, only to see an “April Fools” graphic below it.
Carl said it only went viral when they talked about receiving various messages claiming that Ramil took their challenge to heart and executed it. “Taragis Takoyaki is not accountable for the events that occurred,” they stressed in their statement.
“Katulad nga ng inaasahan, kumalat na ang poster sa buong Pilipinas. At sobrang dami na ng nagreact at nagalit na malalaking influencers at dun na nagsimula na gumana ang plano,” he recalled.
Their post garnered a hundred thousand reactions as it reached personalities and brands that later offered a helping hand to Ramil in the form of cash and in-kind donations.
The Taragis team released another video on April 2, where they can be seen visiting Ramil and finally giving him P100,000. “Mula sa video na ‘to, kumalma na ang lahat,” he said, “at naging masaya na ang lahat ng tao.”
“Oo, nagsinungaling ako sa inyo at gusto kong humingi ng tawad,” he continued. “Dinala namin kayo dito sa isang malaking marketing stunt na may iba’t ibang klaseng emosyon, diskusyon, at pagpapakitang tao.”
Taragis owner says marketing stunt led to both good and bad situations
Carl started pointing out the negative effects of their marketing stunt. “Una, nagmukha kaming nanloko dahil planado ito. Pangalawa, maraming brand ang naapektuhan at nagpakita ng kabutihang loob sa isang marketing stunt lamang,” he said.
He, however, said it also led to the good as people came together to help Ramil in their own ways. According to him, it also made the brands who offered help become more known and increase their following on social media.
“Pinili namin na mahirapan kayong abutin siya dahil nga stunt lang naman ang lahat ng ‘to,” he said.
Ramil got over P200,000 in cash from different personalities and brands after the viral “tattoo disaster,” Carl shared.
“Gusto ko lang linawin na wala akong hati o binawas sa donasyon na natanggap ni Tatay Ramil,” he stressed. “Ang lahat ng napunta kay tatay ay para sa kanya at para sa kanya lang.”
Carl said they tried to return the donations to the donors, though they refused to get it back. “Sabi lang nila eh para daw kay Tatay Ramil yun at sana makatulong daw sa kanila.”
“Gusto ko lang sabihin sa inyo ang mga salitang salamat at salitang patawad,” he said. “Hindi ko naman sinasabing naging perpekto at napakaganda ng dulo nito. Siguro, mayroon pang ibang mas maganda pero at least nagawa kong subukan.”