Interesting How AC/DC Won “Best Retail/Co-Marketing Campaign” via WalMart
I was just looking over awards for 2009 and one that I found really interesting was Promo Magazine giving AC/DC’s album launch of “Black Ice” “Best Retail/Co-Marketing Campaign,” as it sold exclusively through WalMart.
If it were the 80s, an AC/DC album probably wouldn’t make it past the receiving dock at WalMart. But this is another decade. Former PMRC members are worried about real things like the environment. And, with the exception of maybe Pat Robertson, nobody believes that AC/DC stands for AntiChrist/DevilChild anymore. Somewhere along the line, American grew (more of) a brain and AC/DC is about as harmless as anything on the shelves.
Over 2 million album sales were recorded through WalMart and it was AC/DC’s first album to debut #1 on the Billboard charts.
Hard rock has come a long way, baby.
BTW, I love the cliche devil horn hand gestures in the WalMart display (above) in the upper right hand corner. Nice touch.
January 17, 2010 at 3:00 pm
speaking of “cliche DEVIL HORN”:
Ronnie James Dio is known for popularizing the sign of the horns in heavy metal.His Italian grandmother used it to ward off the evil eye (which is known as malocchio, Dio’s term for the gesture).
Dio began using the sign soon after joining (1979) the metal band Black Sabbath. The previous singer in the band, Ozzy Osbourne, was rather well known at using the “peace” sign at concerts, raising the index and middle finger in the form of a V.
Dio, in an attempt to connect with the fans, wanted to similarly use a hand gesture. However, not wanting to copy Osbourne, he chose to use the sign his grandmother always made.
The sign would later be appropriated by heavy metal fans under the name “maloik”, a corruption of the original malocchio.
Somebody should write a book on this topic…ha ha!
Curt King
Demolish Mag.
February 2, 2010 at 12:47 am
AC/DC are the best!