Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The T-Mobile Dance
T-Mobile, a mobile network operator with networks in Europe and the United States, has came up with an entertaining advertising campaign rather recently. Before we advance any further, let us take a look (or two) at their advertisement!
One of the things that we have learned about perception, is that we select stimuli or information based on the specific qualities that is possesses, namely:
- Frequency
- Contrast
- Intensity
- Novel Stimuli
Let us see how T-Mobile's commercial adheres to these qualities.
Frequency
Considering the fact that this ad is not broadcasted locally, it is hard to determine the frequency of it being aired on television. However, going by the number of hits the official ad has gotten on Youtube, its mention in British newspapers such as the Dailymail as well as the sheer number of people involved in its creation, it should be safe to say that the chances of it appearing frequently are high.
Contrast
I believe that contrast can be illustrated in two different contexts here. First up would be contrast within the commercial itself. The people involved in the ad are clearly distinguished from the general public due to the eye-catching dance and eventually, some bystanders even join in! It is a combination of this point and that of Intensity that best illustrates T-Mobile's motto, Life's for Sharing.
Next, amidst a myriad of other commercials introducing product functions and services, T-Mobile's ad stands out due to its novelty and uniqueness in representing the company's beliefs rather than directly providing information about the services and products it offers.
Intensity
The intensity present cannot be undermined. With a mix of high-energy dance moves and ballroom waltzes, the passion of the dancers can be felt as a form of non-verbal communication from one human to another, be it to viewers of the commercial or bystanders present at that moment. One of the criterias of success in this particular ad was the ability of the dancers to persuade members of the general public to join in the dance, and this was fulfilled reasonably due in part to the intensity of the dancers' emotions and conveying of those feelings to the public.
Novel Stimuli
The crux of this advertisement. While flash-mobbing is not an entirely new concept, I believe that this is the first time that is has been harnessed as a marketing tool. The novelty of the ad will no doubt cause it to be embedded in the minds of many people, which subsequently prompts recollection of the company's name or brand in the future.
What are your thoughts regarding this T-Mobile advertisement ? Feel free to share!
(Youtube link is from T-Mobile's official site, images used taken from the Dailymail)
In the name of fun, let us take a look at a failed example of flash-mobbing in Japan :D
9 comments:
Hmmm, concerning novel stimuli, since the advert is mainly for Europe/Britain, flash mobbing may be completely novel to them. I do have to say though, there's a problem with the advert. For quite a while you're left going "what's the point of this?"
o it sure will be fun to have a music break out all of a sudden and have a little dance with a bunch of strangers! :p
but my concern is whether the audience will have a difficult time linking the mass dance to network operator? i can see that it starts from a small grp of ppl, and slowly spreading to the rest of the ppl in the square, like a network. but if the audience cant decipher its subtext/subtle analogy, then the ad isnt as successful as it wishes to be.
sure it catches attention, but if the audience cant make the link between the mass dance and the network, it's not all that successful. >.<
Haha, that's actual quite a valid point. Perhaps they're gunning for publicity and maybe a few years later, there will be people who remember that such an event actually did take place and link the dance to the comapany/brand that produced it, rather than remember it as a network ad.
Woaaah... Let's have a flash mob in school! Let's clip our nails together, i like the sound of nail clippers ... ok. random.
ANYHOW !
I don't think it is difficult to link the event and the company unless flash mob is a common thing in their culture then in that case... it would be difficult for people to remember since their threshold of surprise is high.
Personally i think this ad has definitely achieve its goal with the flash mob and a tv ads (which is also the flash mob) constantly airing on tv (frequency). As the viewer and consumer, I would remember T-mobile for its tv ad because it is fun, unusual and clever -i enjoy watching it.
Whoever thought of this must have predicted the actions of the by-standers -taking out their phones to videocam, call their friends- all related to what the company is selling, network services. So this is not just any pointless stunt.
Woot ! all the dancing in random places reminded me of this music video by fat boy slim- praise you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
enjoy!
HAPPY FEBRUARY !
This post makes me want to move my body a little. Haha! :D
Personally, I feel that T-mobile has successfully captured the viewers' attention.
However, I do not think that it is successful in promoting its product (in this case, the network). Reason being that not much emphasis has been put on the network itself but more on the dance. For instance, the benefits and plus-points of using its network.
Hence, I do agree with what Kaka has said. Despite the fact that people may remember T-mobile as the company that uses interesting advertisements, it does bring doubts as to whether or not the public would be convinced to use T-mobile's network.
Perhaps they already have a large enough subscriber base and are just attempting to gain more publicity. If Starhub, M1 or Singtel were to attempt the same thing here, I personally don't think that there's a need to highlight all the various positive aspects of each network since most consumers are already aware of the networks' existence and what they offer.
Hmmm, I find using flash mob as a marketing tool is a brilliant idea. It is new, unique and gives the audience a great topic to gossip with frens :D.
Guy A: Hey so... What have u been doing this week?
Guy B:Arrghh.. The same old stuff, work and more work..
Guy A: U know what? I was at liverpool station yest and there was a flash mob, created by T mobile.
Guy B: ZOMG HAX! Flash mobs are cool I've seen a couple of clips over YouTube. Btw wth is Tmobile.
Guy A: U know, the new telecom company? I find them pretty innovative, am looking forward to more of their events
Guy B: OooOooooO... i check them out when i get home!
Yup, I think its a good gossip tool :]
The advertisement looks fun (: and I always find that creatively designed advertisements tend to stand out more in comparison to ads that point out what exactly it is that they want to sell to you. I agree about the intensity part, it encourages people to want to take part and be part of it. It catches your attention because it's different.
However, like what Shermin mentioned, although it might be hard for individuals to grasp what exactly they might be trying to advertise for, I am pretty sure with the amount of publicity it's getting it shouldn't be a problem.
Post a Comment