POSTED BY: Anne-Marie Peters | March 23 2007
Fantastic stuff – please slow down however – I want to hear every word of gold you’re saying.
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POSTED BY: Anne | March 23 2007
I guess as long as McD's can keep up with the 'flashmobs' they're ok. What damage though could be done to a brand's reputation if the flashmob did actually cause a 'crash' - or would the brand still come out on top because of its sense of humour n trying to match the mob?
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POSTED BY: David Linden | March 23 2007
This is very much like the old days of University students taking over a venue one night a week, and claiming as theres.
this also feels like the students that wanted to "crash computers" by flooding them with emails etc, now they are doing it live in person, the ultimate reality tv show - who knows maybe it will air soon. I'd watch it.
Well done Martin, another first.
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POSTED BY: Vadim Pogudin | March 24 2007
I`ve seen several flash mobs (one of them in McDonald`s fast food chain), but this particular video helped me to perform an interesting idea to use flash mob as a product placement to increase consumers interest. And it can be like a service in advertising agency, so you can order a fully controled flash mob. Why not. Thank you, Martin.
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POSTED BY: sharda | March 26 2007
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POSTED BY: Subrata Paul, BEXIMCO | March 27 2007
The core idea is basically to involve the consumer and I think McD could do it effectively. I think this is an effective way of increasing customers' ownership over the brand. What if they can 'crash'? Nothing serious, the consumers also know that it's not possible for McD or any other to handle this forever. However, the central idea of involving the customer is excellently executed.
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POSTED BY: Vanessa Holmes | April 20 2007
I think this is all very well... But what seems to be being ignored or overlooked is the consumer desire to crash rather than to uplift Mc Donalds. Lets be honest Mc Donalds reputation has hardly been favourable lately and everyone knows the company actually lost money in recent years... Indeed customers are changing but I wonder if companies like Mc Donald's really understand these changes or if they are just clutching at straws and hoping for the best?
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POSTED BY: Brian | April 30 2007
How is McD's "playing the game" actually? They are not the progenitor of the idea, they just seem to be not very flustered (on a corporate level) by the random flash mob. I fail to see how groups of people purposefully desending on a targeted location (for one time only) is harnessing the power of brand marketing? I'll bet the flash mobs purpose was more to see if they could humorously over-run a location and cause chaos more than it was about brand loyalty. If the flash mob chose another brand or a brand with a lower profile would it still be the same thing?
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POSTED BY: Martin Lindstrom | May 02 2007
Dear Brian, True except that the FlashMobs now are running several times every months in Germany and Austria. More than 10 FlashMobs has run so far....
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POSTED BY: David Echeverry | May 09 2007
Your appreciation of the mob´s intention is correct. However, it does not lessen the truth of the conclusions that Martin draws from it. The original intention from the person who posted this video might have been different from what was actually achieved, but youtube bloggers felt that they owned the brand and that is what eventually counted.
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POSTED BY: Troels Kranker | May 06 2007
This is ofcourse an interesting and still rare community which is built around the McD brand emerged from an aggressive and negative attitude toward the brand. However, I really think McD should use this to their own advantage - invite them in and proactively arrange such events and challenge them back by engaging in a dialogue with this flash mob annd thereby prove that they have self irony. This involes and engages the flash mob in the McD brand and forces them to take a stance toward the brand.
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POSTED BY: Koen Peeters | May 09 2007
Lovely material. But I have a feeling that you, as a company, cannot incite such phenomena. The only thing that you can do is, when such a thing happens to your company, just reacting to it in the right way: respectfully, open to dialogue.
Do not understand me wrong. I do believe in the powers of W-o-M in branding. Brands should create memorable experiences. Experiences that are worth telling to your friends. The hierarchy of credibility is: 1. Experienced myself, 2. Heard it from a good friend/family/colleague, 3. Heard it at the butcher's/post office/cocktail... 4. Advertising by brands.
One question sticks to my mind: how do you use W-o-M in a B2B context?
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POSTED BY: Martin Lindstrom | May 09 2007
Dear Koen,
I agree with all your points. Following your question on B2B - the answer is yes. Remember we're all B2C - as well as B2B people - you're writing private emails at work - and work emails in private. Few has leveraged the viral concept in a B2B concept - however just wait and see - this is only a matter of time....
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POSTED BY: Karsten G | May 09 2007
Amazing stuff. Also an amazing way to say "burger". I'll have to pick up that dialect ;)
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POSTED BY: Gustavo | May 09 2007
Seems to me like something that started from McDonald's ... could consumers really beat up the hamburguer powerhouse? End of the day, stockholders are cashing tons out of it.
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POSTED BY: MARIA INES | May 09 2007
SALUDOS DESDE GUATEMALA, ESTE FENOMENO AUN NO SE VE AQUI, NO ESTAMOS PREPARADOS PARA ESO.
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POSTED BY: Dennis D. Balajadia | May 09 2007
Behold! The future is Now. Are you ready?
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POSTED BY: Mikkel | May 10 2007
This is great stop. Wonderful to experience Mr. Knezevic's reaction - positive and openminded - not being afraid of loosing control...
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POSTED BY: Adu olatunbosun | May 11 2007
Se what the best of intentions and readiness to deliver a brand promise...kudos to McD well managed and exploited.
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POSTED BY: Nnenna | May 12 2007
I think this is a brilliant idea, to enable the consumers have the experience of brand ownership, i feel other organisations should be bold enough to take such steps because consumers are the no. 1 element for brand strength
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POSTED BY: Brutus Charamitus | May 13 2007
it's funny how people are wasting their time, money, energy, and food on such a silly cause instead of a valuable one like helping starvation. These brands and the consumers are becoming too obsessive of their futile brand stories and have forgotten the issues of the world. Marketers, please wake up and use your energy on something more valuable. Don't be absorbed by consumerism, life more than that.
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POSTED BY: Martin Lindstrom | May 15 2007
Very good point Brutus. I'll aim to cover this particular topic later this year - so please don't think that we've forgotten it.
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POSTED BY: Zane Van Rooyen | June 19 2007
Fantastic
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POSTED BY: richard | August 15 2007
i'm w/ brutus...
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