The joy of shared experience…

There was a time this type of thing would’ve happened as a radio stunt: the guy living on the billboard platform under the message asking for a job, the anonymous person handing out $100 bills at the mall, the person standing up in the restaurant to announce everyone’s meal is on her.

Radio doesn’t have enough staffers to do stunting much anymore. Even if we did, I don’t think it translates into direct effect on the bottom line and the investment bankers frown on fun for fun’s sake.

Check this out…

The setting is a busy New York City subway stop, the one with the huge, long escalators taking people up to the surface to begin their work day. It’s early, it’s freezing cold, no one’s really happy to be on that escalator.

Until this happens:

And you begin to see smiles, and hear people interacting with each other. The mood is suddenly lighter, warmer…

There’s something to be said for shared experience designed to make us forget our problems for a minute and smile.

It’s part of what almost every radio talent tires to accomplish at least once a show. Of course, we’re isolated, in a sound booth, and we don’t usually get to see the reactions of our successes.

Which is why it never hurts to venture out of that studio from time to time and visualize those we share hours with every day.

There are endless ideas for stunting. You can grab a few from the guys at ImprovEverywhere.com, who were behind the escalator fun.

And if this just makes no sense to you whatever, spend a few minutes watching this video…

(If this player loads too slowly, use THIS LINK)

You can do worse than creating opportunities for the shared experience of fun, just for the sake of it, especially right now.