Nokia apologizes for ‘faked’ footage in new Lumia 920 advertisement

Many shared a good laugh when a Romanian TV weatherman was caught faking a storm during a segment earlier this year. The ruse was made apparent when the camera subtly panned to the right, exposing an assistant as he tried to simulate the heavy winds by kicking sand into the air.

The story quickly made the rounds online and while it had many cracking a smile, a similar gaffe from Nokia wasn't so easily dismissed.

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In a recent advert for their brand new Lumia 920 smartphone, a couple is shown as they ride their bicycles on a sunny afternoon. The man is seen using the Lumia to film his girlfriend as they ride, and a split-screen sequence shows what the footage from the Nokia device would look like.

But as you can see in the image above, the footage was clearly not captured on the Lumia smartphone. Let's see if you can spot the gaffe in the video below:

A cameraman holding what appears to be an SLR camera is seen in the reflection when the couple quickly passes a nearby window. Staff at The Verge were the first to spot the the cameraman's device, prompting the brass at Nokia to issue a formal apology.

"We produced a video that simulates what we will be able to deliver with OIS," they wrote in a company blog entitled 'An apology is due,' reports the BBC. "Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but we should have posted a disclaimer stating this was a representation of OIS only. This was not shot with a Lumia 920... we apologize for the confusion we created."

The footage is question was intended to reveal how the technology helps to reduce image blur. Nokia was quick to boast the Lumia 920's image quality as the best on the smartphone market when the device was unveiled at a press conference on Wednesday, but you can't help but assume this recent revelation will have many dismissing the company's dubious claim.

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Philippa Foster Back, the director of the UK's Institute of Business Ethics, was surprised to witness the Finnish company's ostensible carelessness.

"It is good that Nokia has recognized how misleading their advertisement was and has apologized for that," she told the BBC. "That is an important element in trying to maintain trust. The company does have a code of conduct recognizing that 'high ethics means success' and states that the company 'conducts its marketing in a responsible way.'

"Whether oversight or deliberate, and skeptics might think the latter, Nokia has let itself down. The product will need, more than ever, to speak for itself."