Your client
kicking up her heels
Flash mobs are the hot thing in alternative media
By Diego Vasquez
Feb 16, 2010
These days a great out-of-home advertising campaign doesn't just connect with the people on the street. It also finds a second life on the web, and there are few stunts more effective at drawing people online than a video of a wacky flash mob.
You've probably seen one in person or on YouTube. One moment dozens of people are milling around a high-traffic public place minding their own business. The next they come together in a choreographed dance or song or, in some cases, simply freeze in place.
The performance lasts only a few minutes, but it's long enough to make a huge visual impact. Passersby take pictures with their cell phones. Local TV stations film excerpts for the evening news. And the whole thing is captured on tape to be loaded onto YouTube, where it will get a second viral life.
Despite their seeming randomness, flash mobs are anything but. They are often elaborate productions that take weeks to pull together, and at some cost.
But their success online and the huge amount of buzz they can generate make them a good platform for anyone trying to reach an audience of young people, who tend to be the ones watching on the web.
To find out how to promote your client’s brand using flash mobs, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Using dancing, singing or posing flash mobs to spread an advertiser's message.
Who
There are dozens of experiential or guerrilla agencies with past experience executing flash mob campaigns, but most any agency can help facilitate them.
Agencies usually hire outside choreographers to organize the routines and recruit dancing/singing/acting talent via the internet for individual campaigns.
How it works
The first flash mob popped up in 2003 as part of a social experiment by Harper's magazine senior editor Bill Wasik.
Ad agencies quickly picked up on the idea and began planning flash mob events for their clients. Though many flash mobs are still performance art or protests organized over the internet, the more professional ones, such as a recent song-and-dance performance for Dr. Pepper's at the New York Stock Exchange, are advertiser-driven.
Their popularity has really soared the past two years. Literally hundreds of events take place across the world each year, and they've become so ubiquitous that a handful of panicky towns have even banned them due to public safety concerns over mobs that get out of control.
Flash mobs can take weeks of planning, and a big part of that is choosing a good location. Successful stunts take place in high-traffic locations where there are many people to watch or take part, and where video cameras can capture onlookers’ reactions.
New York's Times Square is one popular venue. Last year's campaign for IFC’s “Bollywood Hero” featured pro performers wearing bright, colorful Indian costumes, where they performed a routine choreographed by “Slumdog Millionaire’s” Longinus Fernandez.
Permits may be required depending on the venue. They are necessary when the stunt uses a sound system or cameras.
The timing of a flash mob is nearly as important as the location. Stunts are less effective during morning rush hour because people are rushing to work and do not have time to stop and watch.
The best time for a flash mob is immediately after work, around 5 or 6 p.m. weeknights, when passersby are not as pressed for time.
Campaigns can run five to six figures, and much of that is the cost of hiring of talent for dozens of hours of performances and rehearsals.
Most campaigns use professional choreographers to create a routine. Professional dancers, singers or actors are then hired to rehearse the stunt before finally executing it.
To save costs, people can also be solicited via Facebook or off the street to take part, which can add to a stunt’s feeling of spontaneity. But it will have a less professional feel, which could sap word of mouth buzz.
The optimal number of participants in a flash mob is between 50 and 100.
Making a professional video of the stunt to post on YouTube is a must. As well as the flash mob itself, these videos include reactions from the crowd and wide shots to show just how grand the production was.
The most popular of these videos draw millions of hits, such as a T-Mobile campaign in which 400 people suddenly began dancing at Liverpool Street Station in London last year.
Oprah Winfrey set a record for largest flash mob when more than 20,000 people danced during a Black Eyed Peas performance on Michigan Avenue in Chicago last September to launch the new season of her syndicated talk show.
Some flash mobs are humorous. To promote an A&E reality show featuring rapper M.C. Hammer last June in Los Angeles, the network recruited 100 people of all shapes and sizes performing the rapper’s moves to his hit “U Can’t Touch This” while wearing replicas of Hammer's ridiculous signature gold parachute pants.
Markets
Flash mob campaigns can take place in any market.
But the ones that receive the most media attention take place in larger cities such as New York or Los Angeles, partly because there is a wealth of local dancing, singing and acting talent to draw on.
Numbers
The favored location in New York is Times Square. In 2008 the busiest street corner in Times Square was the Southwest corner of 7th Avenue and 44th Street, according to the Times Square Alliance. On Wednesdays it averaged 134,711 people, with 127,445 on Saturdays.
The Hollywood and Highland Center area in Los Angeles, another popular flash mob spot, draws 18 million visitors per year and 60,000 to 95,000 daily.
The best flash mob stunts also generate millions of online views.
T-Mobile’s London dance has gotten 17.6 million views on YouTube. A “Sound of Music” stunt in Antwerp, Belgium, has 15.1 million views. A stunt for Trident gum in London has 3.6 million views. And the "Oprah" flash mob stunt featuring the Black Eyed Peas has 1.4 million views on YouTube and is also available on Winfrey’s site.
How it is measured
Traffic counts can be used to estimate the number of people who watch at a specific venue.
The other measure is how many impressions the stunt generates online on sites such as YouTube.
What product categories do well
Ad categories that have used flash mobs include telecommunications, entertainment companies such as TV networks and movie studios, soft drinks, personal care products and retail.
Demographics
The Times Square area is about 57 percent male and 43 percent female, according to Onboard Informatics, which provides real estate data. About 71 percent are under 50 years old. Average household income is $82,588.
According to the West Hollywood chamber of commerce, the area's population is 47 percent male and 53 percent female with an average income of $39,014. The median age is 38.2 years.
Most flash mob stunts are posted on YouTube, where 53 percent of users are male and 47 percent female, according to the site. The median age of users is 33 years and the median income is $74,000. Fifty-five percent of users live in suburban areas, with 26 percent in urban areas and 19 percent in rural areas.
Advertisers can target certain audiences by posting links to the YouTube videos on other web sites and blogs as well.
Making the buy
Pricing varies depending on the complexity of a flash mob
The low end for a stunt that includes a mob of up to 30 people and professional videographers runs between $20,000 to $30,000.
More complex events with more than 100 participants and more intricate choreography and costuming can cost $100,000 or more.
Lead time is typically one month, but the larger campaigns can take longer to plan, organize and rehearse.
Who’s already used flash mobs
Recent advertisers include T-Mobile, Dr. Pepper, Coca-Cola, A&E, IFC, Trident, Sky HD and OfficeMax.
What they’re saying
“Think of how you can make it different, because let’s be honest, it’s been done. It’s about staying ahead of the curve. In the framework of the flash mob, think about how you can make it different than what’s been done already. Also, what ends up online is as important, if not more important, than what goes on on-site. Do it right.”–
Jonathan Margolis, president at michael alan group.
Web site info
michael alan group
http://www.michael-alan.com/
GoGorilla Media
http://www.gogorillamedia.com/
Q Ad & PR
http://www.qapr.com/
Improv Everywhere
http://improveverywhere.com/
Oprah flash mob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvt3chGuU8I
T-Mobile dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM
MC Hammer/A&E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCHqLCbb8P4
Dr. Pepper at New York Stock Exchange
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5JDrrzTF2o
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