Mediaphyter – A Communications Cocktail

I normally balk at brands or fakesters who hit me with unsolicited follows on Twitter. However this week I’ve noticed an endearing trend. No, not the FaceYourManga-gone-wild avatar antics, but it seems that a growing list of characters from my favorite TV show — AMC’s “Mad Men” — have signed up for Twitter.

It started with Don Draper (Jon Hamm), whose bio link to Sterling Cooper Advertising takes you straight to the TV show’s official landing page. Then I noticed Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) (whose hourglass shape, as an aside, to me epitomizes what a real woman should look like). Then Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss), followed by Bertram Cooper (Robert Morse) and now Bobbie Barrett (Melinda McGraw).

Now, I have no idea if these character Twitter feeds are AMC-sanctioned or not (I DMed Mr. Draper but I did not hear back) but it doesn’t matter. All of them are tweeting completely in character. There is no break. There are no sneak-ins of the true personality of the user(s). I actually feel like I am interacting with the characters on the show and, as silly as this may seem, I almost feel like I am there with them at Sterling Cooper when I am reading their tweets. Never mind the fact, of course, that I don’t think Don Draper would ever be bothered with Twitter even if they had it in the 1960s…

If you aren’t familiar with “Mad Men” it is an amazing piece of work, from the same guy who masterminded “The Sopranos.” It’s AMC’s first original series and I was hooked from episode one of season one. The setting is a 1960s Manhattan advertising agency and it explores the business, cultural and societal issues in that era in a way I’ve never seen before. All of the characters have equally unlikeable and likeable qualities. This makes them appear real; and it also hooks you into every character because you’re not rooting for one. My grandfather, who grew up and spent most of his working life in Manhattan, has marveled at how on the mark Mad Men is in terms of the style, the intricacies of the settings and characters, and so on. And for me, one who believes she was born to the wrong generation and wishes she was Joan Holloway in 1960, am fascinated by it.

Michael Gladis as Paul Kinsey

If you’re a fan of the show I highly recommend engaging with these characters on Twitter. There’s no spam, no spoilers, no blatant promotion. Just character interaction that brings you into the show. If this was sanctioned by AMC it is simply brilliant marketing. If it’s not, I think the channel should promote the feeds anyway. I’ll absolutely keep following. I hope the characters keep following me and that even more join. I think even more insight into the screwy mind of Betty Draper (January Jones) would be fascinating.

But I have one important gripe. I can’t find Paul Kinsey (Michael Gladis). If you’re out there, Paul, please follow me. I have a mad TV crush on you.

[Update 8/19/08 7:30 a.m. Paul Kinsey is now on Twitter.]

[Update 8/19/08 8:12 a.m. I apparently missed Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser).]

[Update 8/25/08 11:58 p.m. Twitter received a DMCA takedown notice to remove the "Mad Men" characters as they are not sanctioned. Regardless of whether or not they were sanctioned, this is a foolish move on AMC's part. I turned at least five people onto the show just talking about the characters. Was there really harm being done?]