The 'flash mob' craze has been spreading worldwide like a forest fire since 2003. It started off innocently as a cause for people to participate in an event together and do something fun. A proposal, a celebration, a non-profit cause or just plain fun!
However, advertisers would take this opportunity to make this an advertising tool. Toyota and T-mobile hired flash mob companies to organize flash mobs in public areas to create a hype and people would talk about it. Recording the flash mobs and posting them on youtube would get views and hits. Thus, brand recognition and publicity for the brand and products.
So, are the costs of advertising through flash mobs lower than TV commercials? Is it an effective advertising tool?
Source by youtube and adweek.com
Most importantly, are flash mobs a fad or a trend?
I think that companies like T-Mobile and Toyota are smart for advertising through flash mobs because it's not every day you see a flash mob and I bet it's quite the experience as well. I've seen flash mobs in movies and in commercials and that made me want to see one in person. I think when hiring a flash mob to advertise for a company, the company should also hire someone to film it because then you could make it a commercial. In doing this, the company gets a multi-purpose use out of their cost for hiring the flash mob.
ReplyDeleteI don't think flash mobs are the best advertising tool. After watching the two examples posted, it was amazing to watch all those people dance together and see the impact it had on the people watching, but what did it have to do with T-Mobile? Dancing to the Pussycat Dolls isn't going to make me purchase a T-Mobile plan. I think it is an amazing attention grabber and gets everyone paying attention, but it gets people so excited they are going to be concerned with all the dancing not T-Mobile. I agree with Angela, they could probably get the best response if they made a commercial out of it not just relied on a flash mob moment.
DeleteI think flash mobs are a terrific advertising tool! They are especially effective if companies don't have to pay for them. Sometimes people will flash mob simply to promote a cause, not because they have to...but because they want to. It is a terrific way of using word of mouth and something catchy and flashy to capture peoples attention. And, as Advertising with Angela said, "It's not every day that you get to see a flash mob." So usually when there is a flash mob, everybody stops and watches/listens. It is a very effective technique for gathering peoples attention. More companies should utilize flash mobs as part of their advertisements out of their pure amusement alone.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that a flash mob is the best way to advertise. They are a lot of fun to watch but when they are done and over with do you really remember what they were even advertising for? Once the mob is done dancing there is no memory of what the product that they trying to draw attention to. I do enjoy a good flash mob but I don't think they are a good tactic for advertising.
ReplyDelete