Since Black Friday fever is subsiding for a bit until the Christmas rush kicks back up, we can stop paying attention to Kmart’s Jingle Balls commercial and focus instead on brand philanthropy. Now that JCPenney signed a few free agents – Doner, EVB, Victors & Spoils – to take over their creative duties, the department store is headlining “Jingle Mingle” a collaborative musical project tied to USO holiday donations. It appears that EVB and Victors & Spoils took the reins on this one, and the Boulder-based team was led by Noah Clark and Steve Babcock.
There’s some vanilla exposition on the campaign’s site from country singer Blake Shelton, which is almost worth watching just to hear him say “Santa Pipes.” That’s not a phrase. But users can record their own versions of “Silent Night” before a big televised rendition on December 19 meant to raise the spirits of US troops. There’s also a monetary donation for each submission that’s ultimately capped at $100,000. It’s for a good cause. It lets people sing without bothering strangers with bah humbug looks on their faces. And nobody has to stand in a line at 3 AM for a new Xbox. Happy holidays and Santa Pipes to all.