The Business Innovation Insider: Slo-Mo Home Depot

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August 30, 2006

Slo-Mo Home Depot

What happens when hundreds of customers show up at a store and start shopping in slow motion? In this YouTube video clip, check out what happened when 225 Improv Everywhere Agents shopped in slow motion at a Manhattan Home Depot on August 19. The Improv Everywhere site includes extensive photos and videos of the "mission," including a detailed description of what happened during a 15-minute period when time stood still at Home Depot:

"After everyone had assembled [in a park near the store], I revealed the mission details. We would sychronize our watches and then walk over to Home Depot and shop. At exactly 4:15 we would all begin moving in slow motion. We'd do that for five minutes, and then shop normally for five minutes as if nothing had happened. At exactly 4:25 we would all freeze in place for five minutes. When that was over we would go back to normal and eventually leave the store.

This particular Home Depot location has a ground level, a lower level, a balcony, and a contractor services area. I divided the group up by months of birth and spread everyone out equally among the different sections, ensuring that we'd be spread out over the entire store. I also divided the group up by year of birth, instructing the even numbered birth year folks to approach and exit the store from Sixth avenue and the odd years to approach and exit from Fifth. I did this to make us seem less like a parade of people and more like random individuals entering and exiting the store."

Tags: Home Depot Improv Everywhere

[video: Improv Everywhere]

Posted by dominic at August 30, 2006 1:47 PM | Recommend this! | +dlc | +dig

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