Now in Australia we do have some cheerleaders… from the top of my head you can find them at National Rugby League games (well the more successful teams anyhow) and possibly the National Basketball League… although I don’t know about the basketball anymore.

This season there are no teams representing two of the largest population centers in the country – Sydney and Brisbane. The other largest city, Melbourne, may not also enter a team. It’s fair to say that basketball in Australia may be following deadly dull Baseball as a failure of American sporting imperialism… still the League, Rugby Union, Football (aka Soccer) and of course Australian Rules are very healthy…

Anyway I digress… Pom Poms.

I came across a Pom Pom supplier who provided very handy web tips for those not Pom Pom savvy. It addresses the big questions such as size, application & technique, the vexing issue of extra length.

It would seem that the jury is out on the question of length versus the inevitable ‘stringier look that comes with…umm extra lengthage. Personally I am firmly in the camp that believes it should be more about what you do with your Pom Poms than physical ‘pomery’ questions.

Unless of course we are discussing the aesthetics of colour color. So many to choose from and of course combinations – go a contrast or just have colored accents… perhaps a three color mix. Perhaps you prefer holographics…. ooh boy.

Some handy tips to takeaway from the site include -  consider your performance area, consider your uniform, consider future performances, consider choreography. Not unlike a basic showcraft checklist when designing a staged event performance.

So after I finished researching the web for Pom Poms… with so, so, so many pretty cheerleaders demonstrating their Pom Pom skills – I came across this little gem on Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die website. Love the fun energy and simplicity of it.

It is a seemingly Brady Bunch inspired homage by Jonathon Smith to Missy Elliott’s track “Shake Your Pom Pom”.

Not quick on the uptake – this clip required a second viewing before I realised that each face was performing a very specific audible signature within the song track. Brilliant.

An event idea being formulated ahead.

This would be a great format for a corporate video clip showcasing top business achievers at play. In fact a series of these 3×3 ‘Brady Bunch’ styled clips could be produced and played progressively throughout the program as conference ‘zingers’ – kicking off each program element of a conference.

A finale clip of the day or perhaps as a presentation at a closing gala dinner could feature a compile build of all the various event speakers, guests, various stakeholders – expanding on cue from 3×3 through to perhaps 12×12 or 32×32 layout. With the physical use of multiple projection/display screens, a really cool full room effect could be achieved.

We have found that these sort of video production techniques have proven not only to be effective in terms of creating a memorable shared experience, but can also effortlessly restate the key event message as well as providing for an additional sponsors profiling platform.

Oh and don’t forget to add Pom Poms! Interaction is powerful.

FACTOR168 | Creative Event Management Company

It appears a lot of people have been hooked and the website appears to have taken on a life of it’s own as more bands/songs are nominated for a swift innocence or guilty verdict.

It has actually evolved into a rather fun website to be honest. And now features added dimensions including a top ten listing of ‘wrong’ which makes for curious reading.

Although the top ten is forever in a start of flux, I think most reasonable lovers of ‘pop’ music wouldn’t question the inclusion of people like Paris Hilton, David Hasselhoth, and leading the pack is the truly dreadful Fast Food Rocket who I think Australia may have been spared from as it was the first time I had seen or heard them… as horrible as it was.

Oh and the sickly sweet Jonas Brothers and all their songs make the list. Clearly with this last act, the tweens haven’t found this site yet.

Personally I thought the inclusion of Milli Vanilli was a bit rough and a bit of a ‘free kick’ as I rather like many of their songs. Sure – the two ‘faces’ of the band didn’t actually sing or contribute to them in a musical sense but set that aside for a moment… the songs themselves were good. I stand by this people.

The top ten also seems to have thrown up an awful lot of product… I mean songs from the ‘noughties’. Is this because Generation Y’s musical memory doesn’t extend back more than a decade or is it because this decade has really witnessed rampant out of control celebrity-mania. Maybe I’m getting old.

Having said that Milli Vanilli is a noughties exception as the boys from the one hit wonders ‘Right Said Fred’. I’d actually argue that although it was their only hit, it was a cracker in terms of being a bona fide dance floor filler. I cast my vote as being innocent. It appears that makes three of us now.

Seriously – this song appears to be a special event standard expected of all DJ’s toiling their skills at corporate gala dinners and it has certainly competed with “Eye of the Tiger” as a soundtrack of choice for all those sales incentive kickoff videos. Most are okay, some are very smart and funny, and those made in-house are most often simply appalling. People – I beg of you, get your event management company to handle this video along with everything else. It’s for the best.

And now ladies and gents, for those who like myself can’t help but stroll down memory lane in your baggy Turkish silk parachute pants, here is the track that kicked off this websites hunt for those guilty of music crimes – the original ‘Ice Ice Baby’ version courtesy of PPGTV.

Note: This kinda goes without saying but all rights are reserved and remain with the owners of any video clips and images that may be used for illustrative purposes.So support our creatives and buy in this case a Vanilla Ice product. At least once. And then gift it as part of Secret Santa later in the year.

FACTOR168 | Event Management Company

Like a good flash mob moment, they appear to be democratically spur of the moment and yet a huge amount of pre-planning can often be involved. And they are becoming more and more popular, just check out the number of city specific zombie walks listed in the zombie walk forum. A clutch of states in the US, Australia, the UK, Finland, Brazil… people urrrrrrrrghhhh like it.

The zombie walk in Brisbane is a great example of the commercial power of flash mobbing with the charity of choice being…. you guessed it – The Brain Foundation.

What a fabulous tie-in and with not for profit outfits desperate for low cost or no cost special events that generates income and raises profile – this is a perfect fit. As an added bonus – unlike many other charity outfits with a more conservative position, the foundation through such a… well let’s be frank odd theme, also enjoys great targeted access to the difficult to mobilize Gen Y and to a lesser extent Gen X.

No surprise that the best example of flash mobs can be found in the USA. The following clip is a great example of a flash mob in process. Staged at Grand Central Station in New York – the mob on cue all froze, held their positions and then on signal reactivated. Memorable, well managed, and certainly worth watching… if for no other reason than enjoying the poor guy on the service buggy caught in the middle of the whole thing. Enjoy.

This and other similar flash mob moments were staged by Improve Everywhere – check out their site and the sister site Urban Prankster. Very inspirational for developing marketing campaigns that really create unsual and impactful experiences at ground zero.Certainly beats product tasters or girls in too small tops handing out leaflets.

FACTOR168 | Event Management Company

I can’t explain it but I just can’t stop at one and the more I peel the more I need to peel….

FACTOR168 | Event Management Company