Tech & Biz

Manufacturing Demand: Actors Hired to Queue for iPhones

by Jordan Yerman | August 22, 2008 at 05:56 am

231 views | 5 Recommendations | 1 comment

While the North American market clamored for its iPhones, Polish demand has been, well, slightly softer. In order to generate buzz, Orange, the mobile carrier tied to the iPhone in Poland, hired actors to stand in line ahead of the product launch.

That's what's happened in Poland, where mobile phone operator Orange has admitted to Reuters that nearly two dozen stores in the country were manned with a line of actors in anticipation of Friday's iPhone launch.

The company has not said how many people were hired, how long they had to wait, or how they would be compensated.

I'm no psychologist, but forcing a queue may be good to generate buzz for a nightclub, but I have a hard time accepting that it will cause passersby to spontaneously drop a sizeable amount of money on a new phone and sign up for a multi-year mobile contract, particularly in a market where the price point is a disincentive.