Opera, Rembrandt-In-ACTION: Flashmob Viral Marketing

After ten year’s of renovation, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum/State Museum was re-opened to the public in April 2013. Advertising Agency JWT Amsterdam came up with the promo idea of a flashmob version of Rembrandt’s enormous 1642 painting ‘The Night Watch’ brought to life in a busy mall.

The You Tube Video Went Viral

The promotional thinking was:

“Let’s bring the art to the people and then, hopefully, they will come to see more.”

Huffington Post UK and The Telegraph have called the exercise ‘the most cultured flashmob ever’!

Some Background

The Rijksmuseum is the largest museum for art and history in The Netherlands. ING donated free entrance for all guests visiting the museum in the first 12 hours of opening. To highlight this, and the re-opening, the museum’s most famous work – Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’ – was brought to life.

The Gig

“In an epic 17th-century style reenactment, thirty gentlemen dressed as members of the Shooting Company of Franc Bannick Cocq flooded the floor of an unsuspecting shopping center in the Dutch province of Brabant..

The campaign’s slogan ‘Our Heroes are Back’ alludes to famous artwork returning to Rijksmuseum’s collection.”

And To Finish..

In addition to the flashmob, JWT Amsterdam launched a newspaper advertisement on the day of the opening and also an online game!

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And THEN…A Flashmob Opera In A London Foodhall

A London Foodhall turned into a grocery store opera when Sacla – a favourite Italian foodie brand – engaged a flashmob of five opera singers to perform the Italian classic Funiculì, Funiculà.

They wanted shoppers to enjoy all the spirit and passion of Italy in this ‘Shopera’ which they could then share with friend.

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I’d love to have been at either one – great promos!