I have absolutely no idea what kind of a branding practice is behind this, but apparently Stride (a new chewing gum brand) have decided to pay for this man's travels around the world. If he continues to dance on every spot he visits... And it's a great feel-good video!
Matt is a 29-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames. He achieved this goal pretty early and enjoyed it for a while, but eventually realized there might be other stuff he was missing out on. In February of 2003, he quit his job in Brisbane, Australia and used the money he'd saved to wander around the planet until it ran out. He made this site so he could keep his family and friends updated about where he is.
A few months into his trip, a travel buddy gave Matt the idea of dancing everywhere he went and recording it on his camera. This turned out to be a very good idea. Now Matt is quasi-famous as "That guy who dances on the internet. No, not that guy. The other one. No, not him either. I'll send you the link. It's funny."
The response to the first video brought Matt to the attention of the nice people at Stride long-lasting gum. They asked Matt if he'd be interested in taking another trip around the world to make a new video. Matt asked if they'd be paying for it. They said yes. Matt thought this sounded like another very good idea.
Maybe Stride plans to release their own dancing Matt video at some point? At any rate, they get quite a lot publicity as it is, but for a new brand it might be handy to have a logo (not too big, don't worry...) or packshot or something or other that might help recognise the brand. And he's being very nice to them in his FAQ (which is a lot longer than this excerpt, and contains some good travelling tips as well):
"Help?" I hear you got a sponsorship. What's that about?
The folks at Stride gum were nice enough to support me on my second trip.
Why haven't I heard of Stride before?
Because it's new.
What's so special about it?
The flavor lasts a really long time.
Come on. How long?
Ridiculously long.
Are they paying you to say this?
Nope. Honest.
Did they make you chew gum on your trip?
They didn't make me do much of anything. They are very good people.
Did they tell you where to go?
Nope. They said, and I'm quoting here:
"We like what you're doing. We want to help you. We don't want to mess with you."
These words charmed me, and they stayed true to them.
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