Have you ever wondered how angry broadband customers are about the mid-contract price hikes? Cumbrian PR firm Intro have undertaken some empirical research by giving them a hammer and letting them smash up a pile of routers in a rage room, in a stunt to promotefull fibre provider Fibrus.
The gimmick proved to be an effective way to highlight the recent wave of mid-contract broadband price hikes by Fibrus’ competitors – and gave frustrated customers the chance to let off steam in spectacular fashion.
Local influencers and journalists were also invited to join in the fun at the rage room, boosting the campaign’s coverage and social reach.
Rage rooms, which originated in Japan in the late 2000s, have grown in popularity worldwide as a form of stress relief. The Fibrus pop-up experience invited participants to smash computers, bottles, and broadband routers using baseball bats and hammers – offering a cathartic release for those fed up with rising costs and mid-contract price hikes by other providers.
READ MORE: Manchester agency lands social brief for cleaning giant Kärcher
Intro and Fibrus chose to hold it at the secret site in Kingmoor on the outskirts of Carlisle where the room had been built and given an urban graffiti makeover.
Those selected to take part were given safety gear and a briefing before stepping into a custom-made room, where they had around 15 minutes to let off steam by destroying a range of tech equipment, including wifi routers from broadband companies like Sky and BT who’ve recently hiked their customers prices.
The event highlighted Fibrus’ commitment to fixed pricing, with the company continuing to promote its pledge of no mid-contract price increases. This comes amid wider industry rises introduced this April by major providers.
Jude Parr, from the Cumbrian town of Wigton, had been excited to try a rage room for the first time and get out her frustration at her broadband provider who “promised the world then didn’t deliver.”
She added: “Then when I tried to get out of the contract they wanted to charge me the full two years even though we were coming to the end of it. Not very impressed.
“The rage room was hard work but I really, really loved it. When do you ever get to smash stuff up?”
Helen Statham, co-founder and director of Intro, was delighted with how it all had gone.
She said: “This campaign was all about coming up with a bold, creative idea that would capture people’s imagination, and it certainly did that – we have loads of applications and wish we could have accommodated more.
“We had loads of fun setting up and preparing the room, and those taking part had a smashing time – pun very much intended – while getting across a serious message about substandard broadband which our client Fibrus are determined to end.”
Colin Hutchinson, managing director of Fibrus, added: “The response to the rage room event has been fantastic. It’s clear plenty of people enjoyed the chance to let off steam in a fun and safe way – they literally had a smashing time. We know how frustrating unexpected price increases can be, and while we can’t solve that for everyone overnight, we’re proud to offer a fairer alternative with no mid-contract hikes.”
The Carlisle sessions were organised in partnership with specialists Smash Space, who run a successful rage room in Newcastle.
Morgan Race of Smash Space said it had been a great first experience enjoyed by all who took part.
“It’s been really good fun, everyone seemed to enjoy it, everyone got stuck in quite nicely. I think everyone’s gone away quite satisfied.
“People always start off quite politely then whatever’s been bothering them comes out.
“It was a nice idea to do something different, something unique, something that makes people think we’ll give that a bash.”
He added: “Rage rooms are difficult things to get going but once they do get going they are good fun.”
