The Jackson revive

Something viral is lurking in the dark

What?: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, Sony BMG has seeded a spoof viral of commuters reenacting the dance sequence from the ‘Thriller’ video on the London Underground.

There are also two limited-edition Thriller 25 iPod Touch players – emblazoned with the Thriller 25 logo and pre-loaded with the brand new album – up for grabs in a competition that runs alongside the campaign. Visitors to a dedicated YouTube page can upload their own version of the ‘Thriller’ dance as a response to the viral to be in with a chance of winning.

The viral gained plenty of press attention – with Sony BMG’s involvement very much underplayed – concentrating on the British reserve of the commuters who appear not to notice the reenactment is occurring.

So What?: This is an example of how to promote the memory of a particular artist – instead of the somewhat woeful reality – without using any imagery of the singer. ‘Thriller’ is a classic slice of pop music history and the juxtaposition of the zombie dance alongside real life zombie commuters is both cheap and effective. More so than the costly and excessive Michael Jackson days of old, when he could afford to sail a 60’ gold statue of himself down the Thames.

“As a viral I wouldn’t pass the link on and I’m trying to work out why as, on paper, it’s not a bad idea. The execution of the stunt is good and the dancing is great, but it just seems entirely pointless and doesn’t have a payoff; it just peters out to a ripple of polite British applause…”
Kate Fenhalls, Head of AV, ie:music

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