“They do exist!”

Around this time every year, M&Ms/Mars airs its famous “Fainting Santa” television commercial. I saw it just a few nights ago, and my first thought was, “Man, they’re really still airing this?” And then my second thought was, “Hm, that’s kind of nice.” In truth, I found it kind of comforting. A bit of Web research wasn’t entirely conclusive, but some reports placed the ad’s debut as far back as 1996. A lot of folks might find it stale, but I found it comforting. Maybe it’s because M&Ms only has to air it one season a year, which helps keep it fresh, but mostly, I was comforted that they haven’t chosen to abandon it.

I appreciate that a large corporation has opted not to go bigger, newer, flashier, more technological, more integrated, buzzword, buzzword, buzzword. It seems nothing is able to stick around long enough to become iconic anymore. But in continuing to buy airtime for this commercial, M&Ms shows an admirable preference for tradition, nostalgia, warmth–which seems to be a savvy move as well, as these concepts are closely associated with the holidays.

Even though my first thought upon seeing the ad this year was a cynical one, I can imagine that from here on, I’ll eagerly look out for the “Fainting Santa” commercial each holiday season and feel warmed and charmed when I see it. But I can’t help but wonder: what year will it stop airing? What will replace it? Why? Whatever the reason, I hope it’s not for corporate Scroogery.

Money Talks Like Never Before

Nothing sends a message like money, and in the digital age, it’s never been easier to put your money where your mouth is. By simply logging in to Facebook, one can see just how easy it’s become to spend money online, especially tied to some kind of sentiment. In the case of Facebook, that sentiment is the birthday wish. You used to have to run down to the mall to or to a retail location to pick up a gift card or certificate, but as social media is increasingly commercialized, that transaction has become part of the conversation. There’s nothing special about the Facebook birthday wish; it’s commonplace now. But in a few clicks, your wish has been supercharged with $25 bucks in Starbucks cash–or a gift redeemable at dozens of other retailers in spaces such as entertainment, retail, charity, and elsewhere in food & beverage. The wish + gift package can now be completely and conveniently digitized.

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Indeed, in the same way that the Internet has made it so simple for people broadcast their every thought, it has now made it nearly as simple for them to spend their every dollar, just as impulsively—-and not even just for commercial reasons. Need investors? A banner ad might help. Just ask Wikipedia. Anyone who logs on to the site and is feeling a little generous that day can support the wildly popular but financially fledgling nonprofit with the push of a button. I haven’t yet, but I’ve definitely considered it and can easily imagine making a donation eventually.

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Additionally, websites like Kickstarter.com allow creative, entrepreneurial individuals to set up online collection baskets that well-wishing citizens can pledge money to in a show of that most precious form of support–financial. Project creators who meet their fundraising pledge goals keep that money and are on their way.

I might sound flippant right now–and I don’t wish to contend that there’s absolutely something sinister about they way companies have been able to facilitate spending online. In the end, everyone has to make a conscious decision to give or spend. In the context of this blog, then, the takeaway is that as social media and digital collaborative platforms become increasingly commercial or money-minded, it becomes easier to recognize how those two components–social/collaborative and commercial–are becoming increasingly intertwined. It’s a matter of messages and money. That makes sense, as it’s nothing new to contend that the measure of sentimental seriousness is a financial one. What’s new is the form that this contention has now taken–digital–as the social media frontier expands. We broadcast and publish faster, we spend faster, we invent faster, we create faster, we financial pledge support in new ways, and it’s all intertwined. That’s increasingly obvious to me as I study messaging and media more and more closely.