Dr Mumbo had naively assumed that flash mobs, the worst PR invention of the early 21st century, were dead.
But… sadly… they’re back.
And to Dr Mumbo’s horror, there is now even an agency that specialises in hiring out flash mobs. The agency, Top Secret Agent, has published this grim effort, featuring an attempt to turn Australia Day into a promotion for its removalist client John Mason International.
At the time of posting, the video has had a spectacular 25 views. And Dr Mumbo feels some guilt at doing anything which will increase that number.
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But a search of YouTube turns up a range of horrific recent efforts, including several where the proponents appear to have mixed up “having a bit of a dance” with the original flash mob surprise concept.
Take this one posted by Western Sydney Health a few days ago featuring what it claims is “Australia’s oldest flash mob” doing their thing in Blacktown to promote the Healthy Older People Partnership program. It’s everything you’d fear it would be…
Or there’s this entirely unoriginal idea of performing a song from The Sound Of Music on Brisbane public transport where Dr Mumbo isn’t entirely convinced there were any actual passengers at all..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfptKsrFVWw
And earlier this year there was this frankly baffling T20 flash mob in Darwin..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4NwfBLkWIE
Or a flashmob in an entirely empty stadium, thus completely negating the point of a flashmob…
Will it never end?