If the above video of people busting into the “Thriller” dance on the London Underground made you wonder whether or not your morning commute was going to turn into a constant barrage of people zombieing out, and slapping your daily cup of coffee out of your hand in the process, fear not: The clip is part of a “viral video” contest sponsored by Sony BMG and designed to promote the 25th-anniversary reissue of Michael Jackson’s seminal album without actually using the reclusive King Of Pop in any of said promotions. Sony BMG in Europe decided to hold a contest for the best “Thriller” dance, and entries came in from people who staged dances in venues like a high school and a cell phone shop.

In Britain, Sony BMG executives videotaped professional dancers in everyday settings — like the Tube and a Tesco supermarket. The results had a gritty street reality that mirrored amateur tributes like the video made in a Filipino prison, where more than a 1,000 orange-suited inmates performed “Thriller” as their daily exercise. That clip has been viewed more 11 million times on YouTube, about twice as many times as Mr. Jackson’s original version on that site.

“It’s really guerrilla marketing,” said Roger Menz, vice president for international strategic marketing for Sony BMG. “You go in, do your thing and leave as fast as you can. There was never any intention to hand out leaflets and say ‘Thriller’ is coming out again. It’s just bringing ‘Thriller’ back in the minds of people, but without the hard sell.”

Sony BMG is claiming that the stunt worked, too, reminding people who may not have been alive in 1983 that “Thriller” was not only able to make people dance on command, it was in stores in a deluxe 25th-anniversary edition. But surely I’m not the only one who thinks that performing the “Thriller” dance in the Tube has sort of screwed the pooch when it comes to virally marketing the no-doubt-forthcoming reissue of Bad:

Dancers in the crowd bring back ‘Thriller’ [NYT]