American Express touts its Members Project

American Express just posted this commercial to its "Members Project" channel on YouTube. It's basically a retrospective of clips from spots, using a lot of editing creativity, by AmEx commercial endorsers, including some footage from a spokesperson gig that Jim Henson did back in the day. It ties back into the "Members Project"—in which AmEx cardmembers suggest, and vote on, worthy initiatives to get $2.5 million in funding from American Express. Via Ogilvy.

Amex membership has its philanthropies

In what looks to be a combination of social networking, philanthropy and credit card marketing, American Express sent out emails to cardmembers last week promoting its "Members Project" which it started in mid-May; the brand also broke a commercial, directed by and featuring Martin Scorsese, and some other Amex spokespeople, over the weekend. The commercial has that same grating humor from other Amex spots; the humor seems too proud of its tongue-in-cheekness to ultimately be very amusing. Too bad, because the "Members Project" concept is really cool. Here's how it works: people submit ideas for charitable projects to the site; they can also discuss and comment on some of the project ideas submitted. Even registering contributes a $1 to the project, with the money going to the project that wins, by user vote, in July. If you've got a great, philanthropic idea, you have until June 17 to submit it. Get crackin'.