Flying people in the city

Here is an ambient stunt in New York for the film Chronicle:

Radio-controlled "humans" were flown around the city.  In the movie, three friends gain super powers -- including the power of flight.

Times Square lightsabre battle

To promote the launch of the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game, a gigantic lightsabre battle of Sith vs. Jedis was organized in New York's Times Square:

Ready for take off!

Here is an outdoor ad for MINI:

To celebrate the "launch" of the MINI Coupe this installation was placed in New York's Meatpacking district.  A MINI Coupe was attached on the back of this "working" rocket.  Astronauts were on standby.

Boardwalk Empire subway

To promote the second season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire, this 1920's-style vintage NYC subway train has been running in the New York Subway on the weekends:

Even the ads on the subway are reminiscent of ones from the 20s.  It would have been great if they had subway employees dress like old-timey train conductors instead of having those hideous reflector vests.  

New Yorkers are filled with love

Here's a stunt from our favorite guerrilla-improv troupe Improv Everywhere for the Guggenheim Museum's stillspotting nyc exhibition: 

A podium was left in New York with a megaphone attached and a plaque that simply states: "Say Something Nice."  Passersby were hesitant at first to shout out niceities, as this is not typically daily fare, but once the crowd got started, what happens is simply magical.  This video is one of those warm fuzzy moments, where you can't help but smile as the people in New York break out into song, filled with love in their hearts, and dole out compliments to complete strangers. 

Social experimentation

Here are a few "social experimentation" videos.

The first video shows the streaming video of Honest City for Honest Tea.  Pop-up stands were set up in several US cities on an extremely hot July summer day.  

The stands featured the product on sale for $1 with no one attending it, and sometimes there was just a bowl on the table to collect the money.  According to the website, people were pretty honest, where Chicago was the most honest at 99% and New York was the least honest at 86%.  But overall these are really high percentages, which is probably due to the fact that people are just jaded to this type of experimentation and assume they're being filmed.  Didn't Dante say that in Clerks?  The internet response rate was at 90% saying they would leave a dollar, compared to the 94% total city honesty score.

The second one is for Coke in Lima, Peru:

In a crowded area in Lima, a Coca-Cola representative "dropped" his wallet.  His wallet had his identification with a nearby address and $100 in cash.  The question is, if you found a wallet on the street with a little bit of dough in it, would you return it to its rightful owner?  Turns out Purvians were pretty honest and 70% involved in the experiment did return the wallet!  This video shows the passers-by discovering the wallet on the street and returning it to the address.  When they get to the door, they get a happy little SURPRISE!  

The last video is for Global Angels:

The video follows a really clumsy guy who keeps dropping his groceries, and the people who unhesitatingly stop to help him pick up his oranges.  After assisting this guy, he hands over a card which reads, "Everyone helps someone nearby - Not everyone helps someone far away" and the back reads: "Send your help.  Together we can end poverty.  Step up, be an angel." 

VitaminWater charging stations

Waiting certain has gotten easier with technology like smartphones to keep us occupied.  But it does put a strain on our gadget's battery life.  Here is a bus shelter created for VitaminWater: 

Bus shelters were set up in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston with USB-compatible chargers where people waiting could charge their devices.  The VitaminWater ad reads: Alternative energy source. 

Target Kaleidoscopic fashion spectacular

During New York's fashion week 2010, the Standard Hotel was converted into a kaleidoscopic fashion spectacular, complete with 66 dancers and 44,640 LED lights:

The windows from 155 rooms in the 18-story hotel were illuminated with a dance show for an entire city block of onlookers below.

I'm really looking forward to June 11th

For the month of June, Dogmatic restaurant in NY is offering either a FREE or $1 signature sausage dog, depending on what day it is.

 There are some really interesting looking hot-dog days coming up:

Here's all the shenanigans for the month of June:

June 1st - Identical twins

June 2nd - Redheads

June 3rd - Nannies

June 4th - Bowties

June 5th - People who go to the gym

June 6th - People with really old cell phones

June 7th - People taller than 6'5''

June 8th - Canadian tuxedos

June 9th - People from Missouri

June 10th - You and your boss

June 11th - People in period costume

June 12th - People who just went to a movie

June 13th - Full sleeves [tattoo-wise]

June 14th - Pregnant women

June 15th - People who can solve this math problem

June 16th - Scuba instructors

June 17th - Handlebar moustaches

June 18th - Newlyweds

June 19th - You and your dad

June 20th - Pink socks

June 21st - People who skateboard

June 22nd - Dentists

June 23rd - Ty Manning & Dr. Goldstein

June 24th - 41-year-olds

June 25th - Flower bouquets

June 26th - Old-fashioned pocket watches

June 27th - People born on October 13th

June 28th - Men with ponytails

June 29th - Australians

June 30th - JIMMY FALLON

Pop-up beach party

This pop-up shop for Tommy Hilfiger showed up in the Meatpacking district in New York and is modeled after a Hamptons-style beach home for their summer collection Prep World.

I redact my former statement. Flash mobs need to stop.

This "flash mob" for Wells Fargo never really reveals the fact that this dance was orchestrated by the banking giant, and it just comes off as a bunch of street performers. Which is cool, giving the experience an air of authenticity.  Just another ordinary day in Times Square: 

It begins with a bucket drummers, which is always entertaining, and soon other garbage drummers join along, creating a wall of bucket percussive sound.  Dancers join in and they get a couple of breakdancers to join in, and the whole spectacle maintains a sense of realism to the whole street performer vibe.  

But the thing that gets me is song choice.  One Singular Sensation?  Is it because they are in the Big Apple and they gotta do an homage to A Chorus Line?  It just seems kind of lame to me.  The song selection taste levels are not appropriate to the spectacular they are building up to. 

In the end, they never mention it's for Wells Fargo, which is fine.  But what does a dance routine have to do with your checking account?  Is this supposed to inspire me to open a savings account? 

Speaking of lame, here's one from the Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas: 

Well, I gotta give them a few points for trying to be "hip" and "cool" with a flash mob for the congregation.  First off, this is NOT a flash mob.  They have an entire field cleared out for this ... aerobics class.  [Step-touch-step-touch and grapevine...]  There's nothing really surprising about this "flash mob."  Um...there is a professional camera guy in the shot.  And when there are more people dancing than there are watching, that is not a flash mob.  It's a flash-cult.

The "Dance Your Shoes Off" dancers donated a pair of new shoes for missionary people to give to the needy, which is a good thing.  This aspect of social good is completely ignored in this video.  By subtly tying in this idea, it would have made the video stronger in its statement and a lot less creepy to watch.