Overview
The flash mob has become synonymous with making a statement, a bold one at that. It isn't everyday that a group of people randomly assembles in a public place to perform a silly choreographed dance number, so on the rare occasion a flash mob does take over the streets, passersby pay attention.
American Airlines took advantage of this increasingly popular public display to make a statement of their own. The airline broke away from traditional methods of advertising and organised a flash mob at the U.S. Bank Plaza in downtown Los Angeles to promote the launch of their new flight services. The performance began with a single man dancing past a father and his daughter, and he was soon joined by 40 dancers descending the steps of the public plaza. After shocking onlookers with their meticulously choreographed routine, the mob created the American Airlines logo with their travel bags above their heads and then nonchalantly dispersed.
Few things grab attention quicker than a flash mob, but this form of marketing has surely been done to death. And what are the new services that this quirky advertisement was meant to showcase? The airline now offers daily non-stop flights from LAX to Shanghai as well additional flights to nine new U.S. destinations.
