There’s something crazy going on in the land down under, and it appears to be the work of Canadian-based Research in Motion, who has ‘fessed up to orchestrating a flash mob at an Apple Store there with protesters dressed in black holding signs that read, “Wake up.”
AppleInsider is reporting that the Australian branch of Research in Motion has admitted they were behind the recent viral marketing effort that included a flash mob outside of a Sydney Apple Store. Dressed in black, the protesters held up signs encouraging Apple users to “wake up” -- apparently an elaborate stunt that’s part of a larger effort leading up to BlackBerry 10 later this year.
"We can confirm that the Australian 'Wake Up' campaign, which involves a series of experiential activities taking place across Sydney and Melbourne, was created by RIM Australia," the company admitted.
In addition to the Apple Store flash mob, the same folks were seen outside a local news station, with a similar logo on the side of a speedboat spotted in Sydney Harbor. Several billboards and even “a pool-bottom graphic at a Bondi Beach sports club” also appear to be part of the viral campaign.
Topping things off, RIM has also launched a website featuring a countdown to the release of BlackBerry 10 later this year, but claims something will be revealed there on May 7 “to provoke conversation on what ‘being in business’ means to Australians.”
The marketing stunt was first attributed to Samsung, who quickly issued a statement to the contrary. RIM hasn’t revealed if the campaign plans to expand beyond Australia, or what else the BlackBerry maker might have up its sleeve in the weeks and months ahead.
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(Image courtesy of WebProNews.com)
MacMike
May 01, 2012 at 10:32am
It sounds like this bit of advice would be good for the people at RIM, not at Apple. RIM needs to wake up. They're so far behind the market right now that there's a good chance they might not be around next year. Continuing a product strategy based on corporate alliances won't work in today's BYOD business environment. When people have a choice as to what phone they'll use, they're not lining up to buy a Blackberry.
