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Early this morning, Usain Bolt issued the following tweet, likely originally composed by a member of Pepsi's marketing department:
U can't out-run me but can u out-dance me? I got the moves, do u? Take my #PepsiChallenge http://t.co/vxKmmuunt6
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) August 4, 2015
Despite lacking any manner of dancing moves--I'm the definition of the lanky, awkward white guy--I was sufficiently intrigued by the challenge to check out the video for the contest, and I'm happy I did check it out.
It's clear that Pepsi did not devote a particularly large budget to this campaign as the entire commercial consists of Bolt standing in front of a green screen dancing. If Bolt were of the disposition of, say, Hakeem Lyon, he would have thrown a tantrum in front of the production team to demand a jet ski or a bed full of lingerie-clad women. But, as we all know, Usain is a simple, humble fellow and took the meager offerings Pepsi gave him.
Two burning questions emerge from this video:
- By what criteria will submissions be judged? If the challenge is simply to best the dance moves that Bolt displays in this ad, my suspicion is that nearly all entrants will succeed in their goal of out dancing Bolt. The sprinter's dance-move repertoire, if this video is any indication, consists entirely of spins and various styles of pointing. There's the two-handed pistol-draw style of pointing and Bolt's trademark lightening bolt point. It is unclear whether these moves should be mimicked by the contestant or whether one should pursue his own dance style.
- What does one win by successfully out dancing Usain Bolt? The video notes that some lucky dancers may be "noticed" on social media by Usain Bolt. What does this mean? Will they actually be noticed or is it more of a coin flip whether Bolt will actually take time out of his training to beat Justin Gatlin in Beijing to have any more involvement in this challenge than he has already given to the making of this video? What does notice mean? Will he just look at your video and nod in approval? Will he retweet/share successful submissions? Why aren't winners getting a lifetime supply of Pepsi products? In short, why in the world would anyone post a video of themselves dancing on the internet?
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