El Gaffney

M&M Now In Purple

A few weeks back I wrote a post, ACDC like you’ve never seen before. It was about a new generation’s ACDC, the Adam Chu Dance Crew named for its leaders Adam Sevani and Jon Chu. Once again, I have pulled the ol’ bait and swizzy by getting (at least some of) your hopes up with this title. Maybe you all should have chosen differently in 1995 when you had the choice between pink, purple, and blue and voted blue in by a landslide (54% of 10 million votes). As I was saying, this M&M is not melting in your mouth or hands; it’s the M&M Cru, named for its founders Miley Cyrus and Mandy Jiroux.

Unfortunately, I never caught this teaser or the friendly reminder one week ago so I’m a couple days late (but I’m still in there before the millionth viewer). I guess it’s possible I’m not in the online dance-off’s target audience as a 26 year old guy. Either way, I was glad to see the response—even though I don’t think it comes close to the previous ACDC video—and to know that the battle isn’t over. (You need to watch until the end to see that the final round will be in-person. Details TBD.)

Tags: acdc, dancing, promo

Triple C

In the interest of consistency, I’ve cut the list down to three…even if Triple C stands for cataloging cool communications.

First, I’m glad to see these Geico commercials back. So far I’ve only seen this one on TV with the guy from Police Academy—which is the one I was most excited for given my love for those movies; however, I’m a much bigger fan of the James Lipton spot I found online. (I also think “geico police academy” is a tag they want to give this video when posting it around since that may be how people search – I did.) Either way, just as I appreciated Geico’s multiple campaigns each with its own message running simultaneously, I appreciate that they stayed with this campaign (to promote its service). This form(ula) certainly has longevity – what celebrity would you choose for next round?

The second thing I’d like to give props to is what I’m calling AT&T&T-shirts. (Yes, very original I know.) Basically AT&T has thought up a cool way to leverage its new campaign (which is about working wherever you go/live) by enabling participation through personalization. However, rather than just give these shirts away, they’re selling them (like Burger King’s Xbox games). Props to the team for creating a new revenue stream. (Props to me for rhyming.) Anyway, you can create your customized shirt starting at $17.95, and I’ve made mine here – shouting out my two homes (Manhattan and Dix Hills, NY – no glamorous international travel lately). P.S. You can also make mugs, stickers, and bags right here.

And finally, here’s a great article about Tide’s “Swash” initiative. I’m liking the pop up store and P&G’s claim that its “intention is to gather consumer insights” from this group of Gen Y. Furthermore, encouraging re-wearing between washes is eco-friendly. It seems to me that Tide has taken interesting strides (double points for rhyming) in carving out a position as the most eco-friendly mass detergent option/brand. Its Coldwater wash ad is a prime example. I’ll be keeping my eye on the Tide.

Tags: at&t, geico, promo, tide