Massive Melrose Arch takeover for Tropika

Ever placed a drink in a subdued square with a sign saying “Take a sip” and simply waited to see what would happen? Neither have we!

So it was a first for everyone when bikini-clad dancers, fire-breathers and Kenyan acrobats took over Melrose Square on Thursday, 5 July 2012. The flash mob, which was for the launch of the hit local TV show Tropika Island of Treasure 5, dazzled onlookers, who had no idea what was about to happen on that quiet Thursday evening.

The square, which is central to some of the busiest restaurants at Melrose Arch, sat quiet while the surrounding restaurants bustled with diners. Just after 5.30pm, a formally dressed waiter strolled out onto the square and set a table, complete with a rose in a vase, and poured a glass of Tropika before putting up a sign next to it with the words, “Take a sip”. He only had to wait briefly for someone to heed the call. A man nearby walked up and took a sip of the Tropika – and boom! That was when the magic happened.

Roxana Bouwer, who witnessed the flash mob while enjoying dinner at a nearby eatery, was caught by surprise, “We had no idea what was going on at first but it was really fun. The music was great, the dancing was beautiful. It was happy chaos! There were smiles everywhere – Tropika made our night.”

The show was conceived by creative agency 7Dffrnt Knds of Smke and produced by Spiral Productions.

Ryan Gandalf van Jaarsveld, strategic director on the project said, “Everyone knows that the new media space is synonymous with choice, a place where content is social currency and the audience view/ share content because they want to, and not because they have to. This means that whatever you do has to stand out and be BIG. Often brands forget that the consumer watching the multi-million rand TV ad or driving past the mega-format building wrap is the same person searching for cool stuff on Youtube or mobile web. It is awesome working with a client who gets this and has the balls to push the limit. The risk on this campaign was big. There was no practicing in the square beforehand. It was performed once, live, no retakes. Respect to the client, Spiral Productions and our team for making this happen. Hopefully this inspires other brands – those you would expect to see doing this kind of stuff - to start pushing it as well.”

For 7Dffrnt Knds of Smke:

Neil Clarence - Creative Director

Ryan Gandalf van Jaarsveld - Strategic Director

Jonathan Corns – Art Director

Andy Bam - Copywriter

For Spiral Productions:

Josh Linberg - Director

Olga Grigorova – Producer

See exactly what went down that evening by watching the video below: