Samsung says it wasn't involved with 'Wake Up' Apple Store flashmob

Samsung has publicly disassociated itself with a "Wake Up" flashmob protest that was held outside of an Apple retail store in Australia earlier this week.

The stunt conducted this week in Sydney gained attention after a mob of people stood outside an Apple store holding black signs with "WAKE UP." written in white. Initial reports suggested Samsung was behind the stunt, but the company denied involvement in a statement to SlashGear on Friday.

The mock protesters spilled out of a large black bus to stage the event on Thursday. It was suggested that Tongue, a local Australian ad company, was behind the campaign and attempting to hype Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S III smartphone, which is expected to launch next week on May 3.

In coordination with the flashmob, the campaign was accompanied by a number of billboards and the words "Wake Up." written on the bottom of the Bondi Ice Bergs pool.

"Samsung Electronics Australia has nothing to do with the Wake-Up Campaign," the company said in a statement.

Samsung did, however, suggest that iPhone users are mindless "sheep" in a teaser video released earlier this week. The promotional video states that users of the next-generation phone can stand out from "everyone else," while a bunch of sheep are shown in the ad, though Apple or the iPhone are not mentioned by name.

Samsung also mocked customers who wait in line for Apple's iPhone launches with a series of commercials that began last November. The commercials promoting the Galaxy S II smartphone used the tagline: "The next big thing is already here."