RIM Admits it was Behind ‘Wake Up’ Flashmob Protest

Yesterday, the company behind BlackBerry, Research in Motion (RIM) admitted that it was behind the confusing flashmob protest that was staged at a Sydney, Australia Apple Store. The company claims that that seemingly isolated stunt was part of a larger Australian campaign that is meant to go viral in conjunction with the upcoming BlackBerry 10 Mobile OS. The company said, “We can confirm that the Australian ‘Wake Up’ campaign, which involves a series of experimental activities taking place across Sydney and Melbourne, was created by RIM Australia.”

The flashmob consisted of people fully clad in black attire holding up placards with the same words they were chanting, ‘Wake Up!’ Along with this marketing initiative, RIM also launched a website with a countdown timer to the launching of BlackBerry 10 and the company states it will reveal the OS that will provoke conversation about what “being in business” is about to Australians. In yet another related development, the blogger who filmed the protest at the Apple Store, Nate “Blunty” Burr has been found to have allegedly worked with RIM Australia previously.

Much of the flak behind the campaign which seemed to be without branding had to be borne by Apple’s fiercest rivals Samsung which in turn, released a statement that disassociated itself from the flashmob protest in a statement that said, “As a market leader in smartphones we think Australians have already woken up to the multitude of choices available, but kudos to whoever is behind the campaign.” Do you think Blackberry 10 Mobile OS will live up to this hype? Let us know with a comment below.