Within marketing circles around the world there has been a tremendous amount of attention directed at a relatively new form of marketing called flash mobbing. This marketing model is not only getting attention, but also making a lot of people incredibly successful.

But first I would like to point out that although this form of marketing is often referred to as flash mobbing, it currently has no name and is the result of a combination of two different marketing strategies.

Originally called tuangou, the system was first developed in mainland China, where buyers organized themselves and approached suppliers to negotiate wholesale prices instead of paying full retail price, as is the case with purchases. individual. Group buying was created!

From the beginning, the collective buying power has been exploited, not only in China (more than 800 group buying sites) but also in North America, where marketers are only beginning to see the potential of this model of group marketing. trend.

As obscure as they are to each other, the name was changed from tuangou to the much more pretentious name of flash mobbing. Yet this is what the mainstream media have chosen to label tuangou.

The true definition of flash mobbing is when a coordinated group of people suddenly gathers in a public place, performs an unusual or senseless act, and then disperses.

Probably the most publicized example of flash mob advertising is The Oprah Winfrey Show when she put on a concert in downtown Chicago with the Black Eyed Peas. Shortly after her runaway hit, “I Got a Feeling,” previously organized groups strategically placed within the audience began performing synchronized dance moves. As the song progressed, like a chain reaction, the entire crowd of about 20,000 people danced in sync with each other.

You are probably wondering how tuangou, the art of collective buying, became flash mobbing. As I did.

A hybrid version of the two has begun to sweep the nation. With group buying sites popping up everywhere, the world is getting used to the concept of group buying. Not to mention saving lots and lots of money in the meantime. Yet how do these two seemingly different aspects of marketing come together in one of the most intuitive marketing methods of recent times? Let’s find out.

In the case of “group buying” sites like Groupon and TeamBuy, we’re seeing a complementary mix of tuangou and flash mobbing. The backbone of their marketing models is based on the tuangou system for purchasing power while exploiting the social web in true “flash mob” fashion. How this is done is where the real genius lies.

Without numbers (ie group) the model falls apart. So how do they create the excitement for shoppers to come together, and in turn make collective buying viable? Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. With these sites in their corner and quick accessibility to their buyers, they in turn create a monolithic word-of-mouth marketing machine that automates the tedious task of conventional marketing avenues, all while spending minimal overhead. If I told you it could save you thousands of dollars on marketing and eliminate your need for print or radio ads…wouldn’t you take notice? Essentially, this significantly reduces the cost of customer acquisition for manufacturers and service providers. Clearly, this is the bait that attracts most CEOs.

Broken down further, it looks like this:

tuangou = collective purchase
flash mob = buzz or word of mouth advertising

The combination of the two, if applied correctly, is an ideal marketing model with the highest possible conversion numbers of any other marketing method. As all businesses compete in this rapidly changing world, we must discover new and intuitive ways to market our goods and services. As Stuart H. Britt once said,

For a company not to advertise is like beating a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but no one else knows.

With growing popularity and rising conversions, one could be so bold as to say that we are witnessing the transformation of how marketing may change for 2011 and beyond.

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