Amid holiday howls over the use of “Merry Christmas” instead of more all-inclusive seasonal greetings, Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. is blithely tripping its own way by pushing its “Chrismahanukwanzakah” marketing campaign again this year.
The company declared Dec. 13 to be the official day for celebrating “all things holiday, like Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, elves-even Pagans and agnostics.” Indeed, the company gave its employees half a day off.
Meanwhile, retail stores such as Target and Sears have been the focus of pressure and boycott threats by conservative groups such as the American Family Association for not including Christmas-specific language in their holiday marketing. Both chains have begun using the word “Christmas” in their advertisements.
Virgin Mobile USA is not listed on the AFA’s Web site as a retailer that does not include “Christmas” in its seasonal merchandising. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. did make the list, but spokesman Clay Owen said the company “seems to be flying under the radar” and has not received any complaints.
Virgin Mobile USA spokeswoman Sarah Koenig said the company has not received any organized negative feedback over Chrismahanukwanzakah.
In addition to television commercials and slide ads in movie theaters, the campaign includes a hotline-1-888-ELF-POOP-where callers can listen to gift-buying advice-featuring phones available from Virgin Mobile, of course-from characters including “a Jew,” “Hindu Santa,” “Gay Elf,” and “Kwanzaa Guy.” Toilet paper also promotes the hotline, as well as tissue boxes that were distributed to 30,000 high-school classrooms.
“It’s lighthearted. It’s meant to be fun and really has been positively received,” said Koenig.
Virgin Mobile USA reported that in the first few weeks of its campaign, it received nearly 300,000 calls to its Chrismahanukwanzakah hotline and more than 14,000 voicemail messages. The “Gay Elf” character, who greets callers by purring, “Hi, hot stuff” and touts handsets by Nokia Corp. and Kyocera Corp., receives about half the calls, according to the company.
“I’ve been through all the menus and it’s just hilarious. Just because of listening to that I am definitely going to become a Virgin Mobile customer,” one caller said in a voicemail transcript released by Virgin Mobile USA.
Internet bloggers have posted varying reactions to the campaign. Some call it fabulous while others express disapproval at the blatant stereotypes.
“It’s a tongue-in-cheeky commentary on how the holiday season has essentially become a big mish-mash of stuff,” wrote one online observer. “Stupid to the point of being offensive? Yeah, but I think that’s the point.”
Another Weblog commentator described the campaign this way: “One of those things you laugh at and then say to yourself, `Should I have just laughed?”‘
