RIM takes credit (blame) for Apple 'Wake up' campaign

Summary: RIM has been revealed as the perpetrator of the infamous "Wake Up" advertising campaign.

By Luke Hopewell | May 1, 2012 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

Wake up protest in front of Apple store. Credit: Luke Hopewell, ZDNet Australia

Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, has been revealed as the perpetrator of the infamous "Wake Up" advertising campaign that has puzzled Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

The campaign has seen screaming protestors being dumped outside of the Sydney Apple store and traipsing through the streets. Cryptic messages have also popped up all over Sydney and Melbourne.

Black-and-white signs bearing the message "Wake Up" have been spotted all over the two cities, including on the bottom of a pool at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

RIM today took ownership of the controversial campaign.

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 7 that will aim to provoke conversation on what "being in business" means to Australians.

For more on this story, including a video, read http://www.zdnet.com.au/rim-responsible-for-wake-up-campaign-339336938.htm on ZDNet Australia.

Topics: BlackBerry, Apple, Security, Smartphones

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11 comments

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LOL!

[i]"Of course it was Microsoft"[/i]

William Farrel
1 May, 2012 08:47

Reply Vote
- Damn
  
  I was sure it was deprogrammed cultists ;-)
  
  tonymcs@...
  1 May, 2012 17:22
  
  Reply Vote
I thought it was a fantastic campaign

Very creative, very innovative. And yes, many Apple consumers should wake up.

toddbottom3
1 May, 2012 08:57

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- @toddbottom3
  
  Why is that you assume that since Apple products aren't (apparently) suited for you - that they are somehow not suitable for anyone else? What arrogance.....
  
  grimmwit
  1 May, 2012 11:16
  
  Reply Vote
  - I says pardon?
    
    [i]Why is that you assume that since Apple products aren't (apparently) suited for you[/i]
    
    I own an iPhone and an iPad, both of which I find to be excellent devices.
    
    I don't fault anyone for defining their requirements, looking at the selection of devices that are available, and choosing the best one for them. Informed consumers that end up buying Apple products (like I have) are great. The people who should wake up are those who, for example, have told us on ZDNet that they'll buy an Apple TV (not the set top box, an actual TV made by Apple) before it has even been announced, before we know anything about it. There are many Apple consumers who buy Nothing But Apple. Those people need to wake up.
    
    Apple puts out some very high quality stuff. The iPhone currently has very little competition (although Nokia 900 looks fantastic) and there is nothing even close to the iPad. Apple products are suitable for a lot of people, never suggested otherwise.
    
    toddbottom3
    1 May, 2012 11:22
    
    Reply Vote
These type of campaigns always comes off as envious....

Of Apple and its customers. Wake up from what? The highest consumer satisfaction ratings in the industry? The #1 phone? the #1 tablet? the # 1 mp3 player? #1 platform? #1 in customer service? #1 music store. Most valuable brand globally. While companies like Best Buy is flailing, Apple continue to outperform in retail year-after-year. What exactly should Apple customers wake up from exactly? Over half of US household own a Apple device. This is no longer the little company with a small loyal following. Yet it seems like companies like Samsung and Rim continue to think so, so they launch campaigns speaking to the 5% of loyal Apple users.

dave95.
1 May, 2012 09:48

Reply Vote
- Envious?
  
  Okay, I guess. There is a lot of reason to be envious of Apple today, you are right.
  
  Likewise, Apple's 1984 ad telling PC users to wake up was clearly envious. As were Apple's Think Different (which is the same as wake up) and the I'm a Mac ads were totally envious of Windows.
  
  So if your point is that ad campaigns show envy, um, okay, I guess. Apple is finally on the side of being envied after being the ugly stepchild for 20 years. Congrats to Apple, I guess.
  
  toddbottom3
  1 May, 2012 09:56
  
  Reply Vote
  - That 1984 ad won countless awards and is iconic status..
    
    Meaning it was not some silly confusing street bombing campaign from a failing company, that ad changed everything. It introduced the Mac which was completely different from what was being offered at the time. Not sure I would call that envious. Compare that to Samsung making fun of Apple users standing on line, and with this Rim's "wake up" campaign which many are still trying to make sense off.
    
    dave95.
    1 May, 2012 10:26
    
    Reply Vote
  - So?
    
    [i]That 1984 ad won countless awards and is iconic status.[/i]
    
    And it was envious of IBM, Microsoft, and its consumers. I'm not sure why you think being envious of companies that are far more successful is a bad thing.
    
    Regardless, you have your opinion that this marketing campaign is bad. That's fine, we kind of expect it from people like you. My opinion is that this was funny and well done. Agree to disagree.
    
    toddbottom3
    1 May, 2012 11:12
    
    Reply Vote
  - Yeah well
    
    Apple didn't send a girl to put a hammer through Microsoft's front door. There is a big difference. The whole flash mob-ish thing is kind of creepy and I really do think it puts the perps in a bad light.
    
    CowLauncher
    1 May, 2012 13:05
    
    Reply Vote
@toddbottom3

THanks for clarifying your prior comment - it makes more sense now. Your last sentence was open to a lot of interpretation, and was the basis for my initial remarks.

grimmwit
1 May, 2012 12:28

Reply Vote