Flip stages Bondi flashmob stunt
While the idea – and indeed the execution – may not have been entirely original, video footage of a dancing flashmob on Bondi Beach on Friday afternoon is close to going viral.
At the time of writing, more than 80,000 people had viewed footage of the event staged to promote Flip mini video cameras, which launch in Australia tomorrow.
The stunt was conceived by media agency Razor, with PR firm Text 100 and production company Curious also involved.
Around 200 actors, all in beachwear were strategically placed among sunbathers.
Then, as music – a remix of the Ben Lee track Catch My Disease – began to play from speakers that had been hidden on the beach earlier on, a single man in budgie smugglers began to dance, before the other actors began to join in.
The process was remarkably similar to a YouTube video of a moment at the Sasquatch Music festival in the US about five months ago where a man with a similar physique, and similarly dressed, kicked off a huge crowd dance. That video has been viewed more than two million times.
And the flashmob is also reminiscent to a celebrated stunt carried out in the UK by telco T-Mobile in January, which saw dancers mingling with the public at London’s Liverpool Street station. The video from that event has been seen more than 15m times.
Footage from the Bondi stunt, and a futher four takes, will be used in a cinema TVC and POS material which will follow.
PR coverage included an item on Saturday’s Today show on Nine.
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FAIL. It’s only cool if there are innocent bystanders.
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Agree – this is half arsed and really average. Total rip off from a brilliantly executed and original concept. #fail
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Shame the camera operator doesn’t understand the concept of a slow pan. On a computer screen it’s far too blurred when the camera moves over the crowd. Also:
Why wasn’t this done on a Sunday when many thousands of bystanders around??
Why is the song cut short??
Where is the Flip video branding in the video??
Why does it seem lame compared to US and UK flashmob events??
#fail
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Yawn. And if they are promoting a new camera the quality of the video doesn’t make me want to run out and buy one. When will agencies stop recycling – originality people, earn your paychecks.
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Copy something that’s already starting to get stale and do it worse than its predecessors. I would give it a resounding FAIL if it weren’t for the hundreds of positive comments on YouTube from the ignorati.
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Jamie – aren’t the ‘ignorati’ the people the brand was trying to reach in the first place? I haven’t read these comments but if they are positive, as you say they are, then why would this be a fail? I imagine a key, the key, target that was being aimed for was positive sentiment from said ignorati on the back of the video going viral.
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If this was meant to show off the flip mobile video recording capability then this is a resounding fail.
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Exactly my point Chris.
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If there are hundreds of positive comments from the ‘ignorati’ on YouTube, wouldn’t that make the campaign a success? They’re not targeting the social media industry. If it’s resonating well with their audience, then that’s a job well done.
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I’m with Chris and Jamie 🙂
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Surely this one will die off quickly when people find out they are paid actors.
It’s not a fantastic endorsement of the product though, I assume most of the real bystanders took photos with their mobile phones. Also, the camera movement is too erratic.
And Tim – those men’s physiques are nothing alike!
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Could have done better. Much better. Surprised only one cameraman – would have benefitted from a couple different angles.
Verizon’s ‘The Network’ took the flashmob idea and added a twist.
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If there’s a TVC etc to come then I’m sure there was more than one cameraman – hopefully. I don’t see too big an issue if it’s been done before, however agree it could have been executed better, but perhaps we’ll see more in the days / weeks to come.
Rae – Re: paid actors – they’d have to be for it to work surely? I’m sure no-one would believe for a second that this might have been people on a beach who happened to know the same dance.
While it needed to look amateur the actual filming could still have been a lot better – for a more positive demonstration of the product.
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Agree with Jamie. Stale idea poorly executed. Promoting cameras with rubbish camera work? Why not give out a hundreds of Flip cameras and let people record from their own angles and post? The idea needs to evolve into something new and exciting, not regress.
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Its better than TMobile . That was a staged event in a locked down location. No “real” public was involved, a complete farce. There is no way that they could have locked down the beach. This is MUCH more in the true spirit of the idea. Also TMobile was an edited version. I’m sure there will be an edit here as well. The videos on You Tube were probably taken by bystanders.
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I think that footage is from Channel 9 News.
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its not a remix. That is a new recording of Ben Lee and the musicians doing that song. at a different tempo. That’s wicked.
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To tackle a couple of the factual points…
Anon 12.24 & 12.29 (the same IP address), You’re mistaken about T-mobile. If memory serves it was 11am on a weekday. Certainly “real” people were there though.
Not sure about your point on the “edited version”. The ad was an edited version. But I’m sure that when Flip’s ad is created that will be an edited version too.
And the footage is from Flip’s own YouTube site.
And anon 12.37, the organisers tell me that it is a remix, which Ben Lee did for them himself.
Beaudacious, Jamie and Clinton, I understand that this initial take was posted by Flip, so that there would be something for people to look at immediately. A more polished, edited edition will follow.
And Craig, there are some innocent bystanders. Don’t be misled by the cones in the background – it’s not a coned off area, those cones are connected with the Bondi lifeguards.
For what it’s worth, my view is that it’s a success as far as the client and the brand goes. It’s a solid strategy, well executed. 80,000+ views certainly isn’t a fail.
Equally, it doesn’t deserve to win any awards for originality. But then again, I haven’t heard any of the agencies invovled asking for any.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
I love that sasquatch video. It’s gotta be the most pure working example of viral mechanics i’ve ever seen 😀
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Good case study for how a desire to create noise and ‘viral’ completely misses the point of promoting a brand and product attribute.
Don’t agree that it’s a massive fail, although I reckon a few less paid actors would’ve been good. It just looked all to slick and directed.
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Almost 85,000 views on YouTube. Reckon thats pretty sucessful for a clip that was caught only a few days ago. I dont think this is an “ad” after all. Just a viral clip. Remember, this is how T-Mobile started…with an amature style clip released first. I suspect there’s more to come….
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i think a lot of claims are being made by critics which have no basis in fact or research. Just opinion.
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How can any say T-Mobile was original?
FFS, people where doing it 10 years ago for fun, not for brands.
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If success and failure was determined by the comments of Mumbrella experts, I would be worried if I was the client.
Luckily, it’s not … and no one generally cares what we think.
I think it’s a winner.
Regardless of originality, ratio of mob:bystanders or any other made up metrics we conceive, it is entertaining & funny.
And if it is framed around the context of capturing spontaneous moments in video (using a flip cam) I think it will create a nice emotional connection with what is currently a fairly unfamiliar brand/product in Australia.
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The idea of using a Flip to catch a Flash Mob stunt isn’t actually a bad one… dunno about the execution though.
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Strangely enough I was at Bondi on Friday afternoon when they were filming this…. I was down the other end of the beach, so didn’t see it up close – but I’m wondering – is it truly a flashmob when I heard that music played at least 3 times? (i.e. 3 takes)
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Pretty crappy camera work! Needs to learn how to operate one in the first place and i agree, needs understand what slow pan means!
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85,000 views is a great start, but where is the product/message? If you had not told me, I would have no idea. Plus how much of the clip is actually viewed. Most videos lose 20% in first 10sec and only about 10% will view anything between 100sec and 120sec.
Is it good enough for watching to the end?
Can it be tracked to sales too? Are they promoting it on YouTube and then banner retargeting to drive clicks through to the site? Or just placing on YouTube and hoping for the best?
Be great to hear from the Marketing Director…….Anyway, at least they are trying and hopefully learn something from the idea, creative and execution.
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It’s naff to people in our industry but 99% of the population aren’t in our industry or up with the Jones’s. So not original but done the job. Good work I say.
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Pretty average really, I saw the TMobile one donkeys ages ago and it is still one of the best examples of a dancing mob mixing with the general public and having a laugh.
The camera work is awful though and ruins the actual clip, way too much moving about and too close up.
I suppose if the stunt was aimed at showing sub-standard and cheap-looking video cameras then it’s a success, if it’s aimed at actually showing the quality of the camera then it is a total fail, based on the fact that the person recording ruined the actual clip with their dodgy camera work!
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This made me laugh and is directly relevant to the product. I think that is what good ads are supposed to do.
Nice work.
I don’t see this as being the same as the US video. Graceless ferals doing hippy dance in an uncordinated mosh – or happy aussies and sunburnt poms doing well choreographed dance on glorious Bondi beach.
You social media girls need to pull your claws in , meeow!
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poor effort. could of been brilliant. everyone loves a bit of jo in there day. shame.
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The one burning question I have is the geezer dancing Smithy from Gavin & Stacey fame?
It looks like him.
The second burning question I have is whether the sun burn is real or not?
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Sorry Flip but it all seemed too heavily stage managed – might work out ok in the heavily edited version for TVC but for my money the Sasquatch Music festival gig is worlds ahead. It’s just so clearly a natural flow and it’s full of energy and sponteneity – three things that the Bondi mob lacked. It’s a real hard thing to try and emulate an unforced flash mob and I think this one falls short.
Would have been more fun to try and get everyone on Bondi to FLIP their towels – either over or at each other 😉 might have even squeezed in some subtle branding that way too ….
Look forward to seeing the next elements of the campaign though
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To Bob Holness: MY thoughts exactly! That looks exactly like Smithy
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x3 takes huh, no good. dubious product linkage as well, quick vox-pop in our office showed 1 from 10 knew it was a phone, and 0 from 10 the brand of the phone.
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I’m sorry but i just don’t see any connection – or similarity between the perfectly uncontrived video of the dude have a cracking afternoon on a grassy bank getting down to SantiGold and the manipulated ‘flashmobbing’ of Bondi Beach other than maybe the shocking camera work.
The Sasquatach event doesn’t leave me squirming in cynical disgust at the lack of innovation or spontaneity that flashmobbing is meant to be credited with.
You sir, are guilty of desperately trying to flesh out this article to be less obviously fawning to the viral marketing machine.
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sorry – it was incredibly BORING – miss the beach but…
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All flash mobs are crap -go away
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OK, let’s see. Choreographed professional actors doing the dance sequence, to a professionally remix by Ben Lee – tick. Footage (poor pan, no zoom) highly unprofessional – cross.
So, what are we selling here? One the above basis they’re selling the musc/dance sequence and not the camera. They seem to have it all arse-about-backwards.
Does anyone know whether Sasquatch was a viral campaign, or just a true celebration of joy by a bundle of people caught on a video camera?
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o and if you are going to stage something maybe do it the OPRAH way
http://www.oprah.com/article/o.....-mob-dance
i dont know for sure – but I doubt she paid anyone in the crowd for DANCING – please correct me if i am wrong 🙂
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The issue of contention shouldnt be whether or not this is an original idea or execution. Advertising is full of famous and successful advertising creatives and campaigns that were either derivative, mimicked or outright stolen from somewhere.
What i find interesting is that this is called a flashmob idea.
Its a contrived controlled pr stunt using actors that provides a little entertainment but at no point actually invites and involves true consumer participation – and therefore lacks any authenticity or real groundswell meaning.
A nice old skool contrivance (and possibly effective when used in their subsequent old skool ads) but missing the opportunity in doing something real and connecting.
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So far it’s been a major success in terms of awareness, I mean it’s gotten all of our attention, plus the x thousand viewers on Youtube, and the uncounted spread throughout Facebook.
It is a teaser for the rest of the campaign and extended (and certainly better quality) TVC.
Perhaps not the greatest flashmob that has been produced, but it’s doing the job so far.
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Collectivly, the event has over 120,000 hits on you tube thus far.
And they got Ben Lee to redo that track,
Probably on a shoestring.
I say well done. You were lucky with the weather.
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Who cares if a bunch of marketing nerds don’t like it. Only matters if the client is happy and they sell the product.
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Desperate
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Anon – you clearly need some joy in your existence based on your comments to various stories in the last hour or so. Is there anything you are actually positive about in life?
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The Fashdance/mob concept is done, find something original.
Poorly executed and underwhelming.
Yawn.
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Did anybody see this flash mob in Bondi? Much better than the original. Drag queens and a bit of camp – who could ask for anything more?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao4DkbGbxl0
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Well, DD, what can I say? The Drag Queen version was FAR, FAR better – had tears rolling down my cheeks watching it.
Just goes to show, when the Aussie strikes – we do it well. Be original and don’t imitate, huh?
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Hate to point out that the Flip is a three your old piece of technology, over priced and under featured, trying to look cool by using an out-dated public stunt to generate viral attention. Yep, they will walk off the shelf this Christmas!!
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Not the most original idea and the agency have tried really hard to come up with something that achieves too many onjectives. Keep it simple, be creative (as in new and creative) and don’t retro fit what others have already produced. The customer isn’t stupid
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