REF: Lauren Carpenter Experiment. Well worth watching if you have time.
Covid-19 put this idea to rest. But who knows, maybe it'll happen one day? Here's a brief explanation of what it was: Amex needed a big idea that would let the world know they're Wimbledon's exciting new main sponsor. THE IDEA: Thousands of people on Henman Hill playing video tennis as one. We'd use the big screen on Henman Hill and make it react to the audience, recreating a legendary Loren Carpenter experiment.
HOW: COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE. The phenomenon Carpenter demonstrated allows not just two people to play screen tennis...
but thousands - behaving as a single organism, without instruction or any kind of leader. Somehow, it just happens.
The screen recognises coloured paddles we give them, or when they hold up their programme. Each half of the hill discovers they can control their sides bat on the screen, depending on how many paddles or programmes are held up on their side. The excitement of the audience when they see that, somehow, they're all playing each other as a huge group, live and right in front of them, is astonishing.
At the end of each game the Wimbledon and Amex logo would come together, along with the title: TOGETHER WE DO GREAT THINGS
Signing off with: DON'T WIMBLEDON WITHOUT IT The paddle, programmes & flyers carry the messaging: Hang onto this to see the most extraordinary game of tennis Wimbledon has ever seen. Head over to Henman Hill to take part.
We'd then play the experiment in down times between big matches This creates its own content. Improves peoples wait time. Creates global shares, buzz, good will and awareness of 'Don't Wimbledon without it'.
There is even the potential to play online, so millions of people could join in using their webcams.