Just when Ashanti seemed to be getting it all together, her team goes an pisses it all away. As part of an elaborate marketing campaign on her website, TheWayThatILoveYou.com fans could send e-cards called “Gotchagram’s” to friends or more likely…enemies

These Gotchagrams were designed to frighten recipients into thinking they were part of some murder plot and to contact a fake investigator for more information. Attempting to do so would launch a fake news report including a video of a crime scene with the recipients names written in blood. Fans were able to personalize and send a Gotchagram to folks with the target’s name listed as a serial killer’s latest victim.

So how does this all promote Ashanti’s new album, The Declaration? Well apparently recipients were eventually notified that the serial murders were motivated by Ashanti and her music and calling the phone number would enable people to listen to a message thanking them for buying her album.

I’ve hear about a lot of elaborate marketing ideas but this is far the most wacked out and what does it have to do with her album? The e-cards apparently were an ode to Ashanti’s video, “The Way That I Love You,” which depicts her as a woman scorned who appears to kill her cheating boyfriend. The Gotchagram’s attempt to recreate the music video’s imagery with the blood-spattered walls in the fake crime scene. All the blood and violence though seems to lack synergy with her R&B image. It might have been more appropriate for The Gravediggas or even Michael Jackson’s Triller.

Naturally there was a swell of public outrage lead by parents and religious groups who protested outside Universal Music Tuesday threatening to disrupt her National Anthem performance at Game 5 of the NBA finals. As a result and rightfully so, the label shut down the Gotchagrams and removed her Web site altogether.