LIME jingle creates waves

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

FOUR OF the entertainers who recently signed partnerships with telecommunications company LIME - Ce'Cile, Beenie Man, Mavado and Elephant Man - have put their considerable talents together in creating an infectious jingle for the Yuletide season.

The jingle - Christmas Pan the Remix - which is already on the airwaves, is promoting LIME's Christmas campaign involving more than $20 million in cash and prize giveaways.

It was just last week that LIME country manager for Jamaica and Cayman, Gary Sinclair, expressed confidence in LIME's intentions to win the mobile market by engaging the talents of entertainers who have a direct influence on the nation's culture. Sinclair explained that for too long, LIME was not connecting with the people of Jamaica and all that was about to change.

Dancehall 'bad gyal' Ce'Cile is very excited about the partnership.

"It's a great opportunity to align myself with a company such as LIME and I am grateful for the opportunity to have them embrace the dancehall community," she said. "This will be a fruitful collaboration, as we are repping for LIME while LIME is touting us to become more positive persons and better role models. We hope this positive joint venture continues."

And so, a week later comes this jingle that LIME intends to unleash for the holidays. It samples several popular Christmas carols, including We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells and Deck The Halls, on a dancehall rhythm.

"It was done about four weeks ago," Ce'Cile said, adding that there was more where that came from. "This is not the first time Beenie Man and I have done LIME commercials together. However, working with Mavado and Ele on it this time was super. We had so much fun! Beenie and I also did the regional commercials which included the singer Iyaz and Edwin Yearwood; they were all in Jamaica. We shot it together and it was such a great vibe."

LIME chairman, Chris Dehring, says the jingle is so hot, while they were doing the commercial observers were asking for a 'pull up'. He laughed as he said he had never seen anything quite like that before where people were asking for a 'pull up' on a jingle. The shoot can be seen on YouTube.

Dehring explained that the overarching strategy is based on the concept that "nobody can out-Jamaica us." LIME is run by Jamaicans, has more than 1200 Jamaica employees and has more than 25,000 Jamaican shareholders. "What better way is there than to identify with Jamaica than through music," he said. This remix, he said, also represents a rebranding of LIME as a company owned and run by Jamaicans planning to make a positive change in Jamaica.

Well beyond Christmas, the artistes who have partnered with LIME, including the four who participated in the jingle, will be involved in community outreach projects to help spread and reinforce positive messages in Jamaican communities.