Robert Shoesmith is currently sitting outside of a London Apple Store waiting for the iPhone 5 to go on sale, despite the fact that the device has not been announced by Apple Inc. at this time. Shoesmith calls the wait a “marketing and PR experiment.”
On his official blog he calls his wait the “iPhone 5 Experiment” and he explains what he plans to do for the next several months (or longer) as he waits:
I will be camping out on the streets of London for the launch of the iPhone 5 in a marketing and pr experiment. There is one rule! I can’t spend any money on anything I take with me. I’m asking for companies to donate products and services to test out whilst I’m there. Can you help?
While his campaign has just started he has already received various items including lithium batteries from Energizer, a webcam setup from the team at Skype, candy and other items, while various company’s are sponsoring his actions including Cadbury, Mountain Dew , Domino’s Pizza, Kenneth Cole, Weight Watchers and Gillette.
Since he’s marketing (for free) the iPhone 5 he’s also trying out and posting about various mobile apps he’s currently using which could turn into marketing dollars for his efforts:
During my stay in Covent Garden I’ll have a personal trainer helping to keep me in shape, many products to publicly test, and I’ve even managed to secure a number of live bands to perform. There will be much to see and do, so please make the trip if you can, and don’t forget to bring some friends too!
Do you have a talent? Can you juggle, act, or dance? Can you breathe fire?! Whatever your talent, I’m eager to help you get noticed. As I’m going to be in London for quite some time, it’s important for me to keep the experiment fresh, so I’m actively searching for talented individuals to visit me in Covent Garden and perform.
What do you think about Shoesmith’s marketing efforts?
