While on the topic of cell-phone providers, I stumbled across a recent post on adliterate with the above T-Mobile spot making use of improv/flashmob/crowd-participation. Unlike a lot of the flashmob promotions i’ve seen in the past, this one is presented in a way that doesn’t hinder your desire to continue watching the piece past the :30 mark. In fact, everyone i’ve sent this too has mentioned that they watched the whole video (which clocks in around 3:06) and a few even commented on the various reactions the group receives from other travelers.
As was pointed out by adliterate user Ado, this is by no means a new concept. With a simple google search you can quickly find a dozen or so similar improv pieces that resemble the commercial, for example this piece from 2008 by Improv Everywhere.
Regardless, this is definitely a solid performance piece presented in a way that doesn’t feel like an advertisement. It’s because of this that they’re able to make an emotional connection with both the crowd in addition to folks watching online. As of Wed. morning this clip has been viewed over 1.28 million times in the last 5 days. If you didn’t read the title of the video you’d be hard-pressed to guess that this was a promotion for T-Mobile….which ultimately adds to this promotions success in “going viral.”**
**Although I hate that term, this is the best example of a recent campaign legitimately going ‘viral’ in the way that it’s been presented/quickly spread online-Unlike 99% of the content out there described using the very same term.
