This is one of those moments where I say, "I'm not sure if this is genius or madness...or maybe, it's a little bit of both."
According to a piece over at Resource Magazine Online, Canadian photographer Justin Poulsen created an eye-catching (or weirdly disturbing...you be the judge) set of thumb-shaped thumb drives for use in a promotional mailer campaign. Poulsen used a mold of his own thumb and embedded working USB drives in the fleshy-colored models. A careful paint job added the coup de grace to each one, making the thumbs look chillingly lifelike, complete with a bloody stump-like area on the back.
The thumb drives come with a pitch of sorts, suggesting that Poulsen can help make clients "stick out like a sore thumb." The strategy definitely grabs attention more than the standard postcard emblazoned with a pithy phrase or two that you would normally fish out of the mailbox.
Poulsen typically creates miniature models and other physical props to use in his photography, rather than creating everything digitally. This isn't the first time he's used blood-splattered body parts to draw attention to his work. Previously, he created a zombie walk advert including a severed hand grasping a water bottle.
Check out his process video below for all the gory (sorry, couldn't resist) details:
