Mad Men Season 7 premiered yesterday and a New York-based agency called Leroy & Clarkson released a parody of the show. The hilarious spoof titled 'Don-O-Mite' imagines the popular AMC show as a 1970s blaxploitation (a black-cultured film genre).
In the trailer, the title character Don-O-Mite (the replacement for Don Draper) is given the chance to get out jail if he revives a soon-to-be bankrupt ad agency. During his mission, other re-imagined characters are introduced; Black Peggy Olsen, Joan ‘Sugar Hills’ Holloway, Pete ‘Soup Man’ Campbell and Slim Sterling all humorously portray the iconic Mad Men characters. All of them are charismatic and give off a Motown vibe with their afro hair-dos and patterned bell-bottom pants.
Retro TV Show Parodies
The Creative Spoof ‘Don-O-Mite’ Came Just in Time for Mad Men Season 7
Trend Themes
1. Blaxploitation Film Nostalgia - Opportunities for creating parodies and adaptations of popular film or TV franchises in the style of classic blaxploitation films.
2. Retro Mashup Culture - A trend of combining elements of classic entertainment with modern media, creating entertaining and comedic content.
3. Social Commentary Through Parody - A rising trend of using parody as a vehicle to convey social and cultural commentary on popular entertainment franchises.
Industry Implications
1. Entertainment - Opportunities for creating original and unique content in the form of parodies and adaptations to entertain audiences.
2. Marketing and Advertising - Opportunities for creating advertising campaigns that utilize popular cultural franchises through parody or homage, in order to generate engagement and interest.
3. Fashion - Opportunities for designers to create fashion lines with nods to classic styles popularized through films like blaxploitation, incorporating retro-inspired elements into modern clothing lines.