Are we too uptight?

I’m coming to the part a little late (okay, 20+ million views late), but after watching this video for the launch of TNT in Belgium I am once again reminded that some of the best experiential marketing happens in other countries.

Why can’t companies do things like this in America? Can you imagine what would happen if they did? In our “post-9/11” world the SWAT team would have descended on this square within minutes of the button being deployed. The square would have looked like a scene from the Hurt Locker.

Yup, something like that.

We’re just too afraid. And sometimes we have good reason to be, but look what it’s costing us. As consumers it’s robbing us of exciting experiences like this. Think of the story everyone in the square that day will be telling their friends for years to come. Think of how excited they were as it was happening. The rush of adrenaline, the laugh after the reveal, the “what the fuck are we seeing?” feeling shared by everyone there.

Instead we get awkward flash mobs.

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Can you honestly say that lame stunt is as good as the TNT stunt above? As marketers we are robbed of the ability to create incredibly memorable, shareable experiences that drive home the brand message in way that almost forces people to tell their friends.

I know that in this country we can’t have people staging fake gun fights in the street, but there’s a part of me that really wishes we could.

Related articles

• Needs More Explosions: ‘Push To Add Drama’ TNT Viral Ad (geekologie.com)
• Now this is how to do a dramatic viral ad (news.cnet.com)
• A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Square (videoholic.wordpress.com)