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Sony BMG is employing zombie guerrilla marketing to enliven sales for the commemorative album to mark the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Videos posted on the web chronicle paid dancers busting into seemingly-impromptu dance moves inspired by the original Thriller video, which featured all-manner of ghouls dancing in a graveyard led by Jackson. Part of the fun of the videos, filmed in London and Copenhagen and Sydney, is the reaction of the unsuspecting commuters and tourists viewing the spectacle - according to the New York Times, “stiff gazes, nervous silence and tepid applause.”
The videos have been viewed millions of times, music to the ears of Sony BMG. The new Thriller album, which includes original music plus remixes with current music faves such as Kanye West and Fergie, is selling well in Europe and Asia, and has been number one in France for three weeks. Perhaps the videeo love will help sales in the U.S. which have not been so brisk - likely due to Jackson’s sullied image and reclusiveness.
Referencing the stealth tactics, Roger Menz, vice president for international strategic marketing for Sony BMG, said, “It’s really guerrilla marketing. You go in, do your thing and leave as fast as you can. There was never any intention to hand out leaflets and say Thriller is coming out again. It’s just bringing Thriller back in the minds of people, but without the hard sell.”
Some critics worry that the expanded use of guerrilla or “shill” marketing will cloud consumers’ minds and leave them unable to differentiate between reality and just another ad pitch.
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