Mercure Hotels has embarked on a unique experiment to check out the well-known six-degrees-of-separation theory, which claims that we are all only six people away from everyone else on the planet.
Aboriginal from the Bundjalung tribe in Australia.
It has introduced a worldwide digital operation, The Six Friends Theory, which is based on this principle and will lead to an unprecedented human experience combining the power of social media and candid face-to-face encounters.
In the words of the company in describing this operation: “The goal is to select a candidate, somewhere around the world, and take him or her to meet an Aboriginal from the Bundjalung tribe in Australia, and prove that they are only siix degrees of separation away from each other! They do not know each other yet but will be meeting via a chain of friends, and of ‘friends’ friends’ that connects them”
The competition starts on 20 January. To take part internet users can post a video up to one minute long on Mercure Facebook page that captures various aspect including their personality, their likes, what drives them, their plans, and their talents. Candidates have to appear in their videos and explain why they believe they are the world’s best friend.
The 50 candidates with the most votes will be shortlisted for the final recruitment phase. A six-member panel including film director Jean-François Julian, and editor in chief of INfluencia Isabelle Musnik will select the winner after a final interview.
The winner will spend seven weeks on the road from the beginning of March. The journey will encompass six encounters, six trips and six Mercure hotels around the world.
At each stop the Mercure hotelier will welcome the winning candidate, and tell him/her where to find his/her next friend. And friends will then treat the candidate to an unprecedented experience, immersed in their local cultur or the friend’s pursuits, and then point him/her towards the next step towards the Aboriginal.
A filmmaking team led by Jean-François, will escort the winning candidate througout the journey to capture these first-ever encounters.
The other 49 shortlisted candidates stand to win nights at Mercure hotels, Samsung tablets, or “The Six Friends Theory” prizes.
The casting runs from 20 January to 10 February. The results will be announced between 17-24 February.
Below is the film teaser announcing the operation.
