The C'mons
Encyclopedia
The C'mons or The C.M.O.N.S. are the fictional rock band used in viral marketing
campaign to promote 4th generation Opel Corsa
in Europe since 2006. The lyrics to all The C'mons songs are composed solely of the word "c'mon", hence the name.
Initially, they featured in a fairly extensive advertising campaign on MTV UK and Ireland. This presented them as a band composed of woven hand puppets, who have released such tracks as "C'mon", "C'mon, C'mon" and "C'Mon, Yeah".
The adverts are in a rockumentary
style but contain very little information other than the website address of MTV Under The Radar. This site in turn contains some vague information about the band, as well as links to the UK C'mons website.
This features a pop-up subsection called "C'mon!pedia", a mock Wikipedia
-style article on the band, which fleshes out some details concerning the characters; specifically, it states that the C'mons are an "alternative rock formation out of Barcelona, Spain". Unlike the real Wikipedia article that page is not editable.
Later, The C'mons have featured in adverts for the 2006 model Vauxhall/Opel Corsa. It has been suggested that they may have been created solely for this advertising purpose, the idea being that the initial campaign would create hype amongst the target market (young cosmopolitan and trendy city dwellers of both sexes) which could then be exploited in the second campaign.
Apparently, the characters have had something of a cult following, with a set of five promotional editions changing hands for over £200 recently and celebrity fans including Radio 1's Chris Moyles and the Sugababes.
The lyrics to all The C'mons songs are composed solely of the word "c'mon" repeated with different intonations. The band recorded a whole album of such songs, ranging from rockers to ballads. Stylistically, it can be described as dance punk with hints to brit-pop and indie rock
. Dance punk genre was one of the trends of mid-2000s.
The album was available as a streaming content at The C'mons web-site.
. However, in all other European markets the vehicle is known Opel Corsa.
For Russia
n market, The C'mons were renamed Rulezzzz.
Original songs are not used in Russian campaign. According to the legend, Rulezzzz are ska
band from Lobnya
(instead of dance-punk act from Barcelona). The sole promo song is available at rulezzzz.ru web-site. Its lyrics are composed of words "rules" and "c'mon".
Opel Russia advertisement director Maria Kosareva explains this in the following way:
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
campaign to promote 4th generation Opel Corsa
Opel Corsa
The front-wheel drive Opel Corsa was first launched in September 1982 to replace the Opel Kadett C City, and to fill the gap vacated as the Kadett grew in size and price. Built in Zaragoza, Spain, the first Corsas were three-door hatchback and two-door saloon models, with four-door and five-door...
in Europe since 2006. The lyrics to all The C'mons songs are composed solely of the word "c'mon", hence the name.
History
The C'mons are knitted dolls created by the German artist Boris Hoppek in his distinctive style.Initially, they featured in a fairly extensive advertising campaign on MTV UK and Ireland. This presented them as a band composed of woven hand puppets, who have released such tracks as "C'mon", "C'mon, C'mon" and "C'Mon, Yeah".
The adverts are in a rockumentary
Rockumentary
The term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a documentary about rock music or its musicians. The term was used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast, and by Rob Reiner in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap....
style but contain very little information other than the website address of MTV Under The Radar. This site in turn contains some vague information about the band, as well as links to the UK C'mons website.
This features a pop-up subsection called "C'mon!pedia", a mock Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
-style article on the band, which fleshes out some details concerning the characters; specifically, it states that the C'mons are an "alternative rock formation out of Barcelona, Spain". Unlike the real Wikipedia article that page is not editable.
Later, The C'mons have featured in adverts for the 2006 model Vauxhall/Opel Corsa. It has been suggested that they may have been created solely for this advertising purpose, the idea being that the initial campaign would create hype amongst the target market (young cosmopolitan and trendy city dwellers of both sexes) which could then be exploited in the second campaign.
Apparently, the characters have had something of a cult following, with a set of five promotional editions changing hands for over £200 recently and celebrity fans including Radio 1's Chris Moyles and the Sugababes.
Music
Boris Hoppek is currently living in Barсelona, and the band of musicians who recorded songs for The C'mons project also come from this city.The lyrics to all The C'mons songs are composed solely of the word "c'mon" repeated with different intonations. The band recorded a whole album of such songs, ranging from rockers to ballads. Stylistically, it can be described as dance punk with hints to brit-pop and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
. Dance punk genre was one of the trends of mid-2000s.
The album was available as a streaming content at The C'mons web-site.
Regional differences
The campaign took its start in UK, were the vehicle is known as Vauxhall CorsaVauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
. However, in all other European markets the vehicle is known Opel Corsa.
For Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n market, The C'mons were renamed Rulezzzz.
Original songs are not used in Russian campaign. According to the legend, Rulezzzz are ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band from Lobnya
Lobnya
Lobnya is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located north of Moscow. Population: 30,000 .Lobnya was founded in 1902 and granted town status in 1961....
(instead of dance-punk act from Barcelona). The sole promo song is available at rulezzzz.ru web-site. Its lyrics are composed of words "rules" and "c'mon".
Opel Russia advertisement director Maria Kosareva explains this in the following way:
European trendsetters are different from Russian ones, so we decided to adapt the campaign by using localized names and biographies
External links
- Official homepage
- MTV Under The Radar
- vauxhall-accessories.com, one of few places where The C'mons dolls can be purchased