Flashmobs and Advertising

 

So, this past Saturday I participated in a flashmob at the Provo Town Centre! It was on my bucket list, so thanks Max and Whitney for helping me to check on off!

We did have a minor change of plans before we actually performed our flashmob. Originally it was to be performed at University Mall, but the venue had to be changed to Provo Town Centre due to some stuffy management over at University.

I started looking into Flashmobs and publicity stunts, and was really interested to find that they are no longer simply something done by a random group of people for fun. More and more businesses are latching onto the concept, and are meeting with success. According to this article, "passers-by... were more inclined to take the brochures and listen to the volunteers to find out more about the event."

A few big name companies that have taken part in the flashmob phenomena include Coca-Cola,  the Esplanade, and Singapore 2010 CAN!.

Flashmobs aren't miracle events,  "All it can hope to achieve is through word of mouth where people talk about the activities to their friends. As a marketing or promotional tool, it must be supported by other strategies to achieve its intended impact." But if pulled off right, a flashmob will certainly garner plenty of attention. Take a look at this T-mobile flashmob campaign:

So, University Mall, Joke is on you!