Skip to main content
The VergeThe Verge logo.The Verge homepage
The VergeThe Verge logo.

RIM behind 'Wake Up' flash mob at Sydney Apple store

RIM behind 'Wake Up' flash mob at Sydney Apple store

/

RIM has claimed responsibility for the "Wake Up" protest staged outside of a Sydney Apple Store last week.

By Jeff Blagdon

Source The Age and MacWorld Australia | Via Apple Insider

Share this story

rim wake up
rim wake up

The Australian "Wake Up" campaign that included a flash mob faux-protest outside of Apple’s Sydney store last week was actually sponsored by RIM, the Waterloo company has revealed. Many were expecting Samsung to be behind the campaign, given its history of lampooning Apple and the upcoming launch of "the next Galaxy" on May 3rd.

The Sydney store event featured dozens of black-clad protesters bearing black "Wake Up" signs piling out of a similarly-painted bus before converging outside the store for some yelling and chanting. The sight was captured by Australian blogger Blunty (video below), who RIM has denied employing to record the incident.

As The Age points out, the source code of the Wake Up website was found to contain a Doubleclick account identifier pointing to RIM’s Australian site. The phone maker responded earlier today with a statement reading:

"We can confirm that the Australian ‘Wake Up’ campaign, which involves a series of experiential activities taking place across Sydney and Melbourne, was created by RIM Australia. A reveal will take place on May 7th that will aim to provoke conversation on what ‘being in business’ means to Australians."

More from Apple