Video: PR stunt at Vancouver International Airport was no flash mob

Is a flash mob still a flash mob when it has corporate sponsorship?

The latest example of such a purported flash mob “broke out” over the weekend at the Vancouver International Airport.

It featured the local band Abandon Paris playing an almost-unrecognizable rendition of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and dancers from the Arts Umbrella Dance Company doing their thing in the check-in area.

Did I mention that Tetrahedron Event Filming was on hand to record the event and post a video on YouTube so it could go “viral”?

The video of “Operation Snowflake”—viewed over 33,000 times—concludes with the logo of Air Canada, which sponsored the event.

It’s being called a “flash mob” in a variety of media.

Wikipedia—always a reliable source—defines a flash mob as “a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual act for a brief time, then disperse”.

“The term is generally not applied to events organized by public relations firms, protests, and publicity stunts,” Wikipedia’s article on the subject stated at time of writing.

So, why don't we just call Air Canada’s “flash mob”—like we would a "protest" sponsored by a multinational corporation—what it was?

A public-relations stunt or, to be charitable, a performance.

Because it sure wasn't a flash mob.

You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.

Comments

17 Comments

wow

Dec 21, 2010 at 1:38pm

is there anything you WON'T complain about Hui?

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LeeD

Dec 21, 2010 at 2:47pm

Please.
Did you really just appeal to the authority of Wikipedia?
"Flash Mobs" have never been anything worth defending from corporate interests.

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@kmyles

Dec 21, 2010 at 3:55pm

Who benefits from this "publicity"? The dancers have the most to gain. People are who fly out of YVR on Canadian are not any more likely to want to fly with this company because of the above 5 minute performance. In face, some might be turned off. Get back to work and get us in the air as fast as possible.

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D-Mob

Dec 21, 2010 at 4:35pm

Hui's just upset his "Solo Flash Dance" only has six views on YouTube.

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Glen Callender

Dec 21, 2010 at 5:12pm

I don't think Hui has ever complained about me.

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Andrew Fleming

Dec 21, 2010 at 5:18pm

Air Canada: Even if they do something cool, it still kinda sucks.

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D. Zaster

Dec 21, 2010 at 6:07pm

Everything about this is fakey-flakey. The last time I was in that check-out area, I had to listen to an obnoxious Air Canada staffer demanding cash payments from all the people who had more than one bag to check.

If Air Canada wants to create a REAL flash-mob, they could get their employees to be polite and helpful to the people who pay for the privilege of being abused by them. THAT would be an event in itself. Hell, it would be g*d damned miracle.

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d-generation

Dec 21, 2010 at 8:02pm

its a lame quasi-astroturf PR tactic. like it or dislike it, no one can argue that these lowlife corporate pricklickers aren't desperately jockeying for position to invade your head at any possible opportunity they can find.

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crow in the tree

Dec 21, 2010 at 8:12pm

painful to watch this forced fake attempt

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yui

Dec 21, 2010 at 11:53pm

All the flash mobs that have gone viral have been "sponsored" by large corporations or large non-profit organizations as a means of public awareness. Do your homework and give some praise to the artists who gave their time to bring so cheer to the airport!

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