• Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, March 17, 2009 11:30 AM

We last saw Jack -- the CEO/mascot of Jack in the Box -- getting hit by a bus last month during a Super Bowl commercial. His accident inspired more than 81,000 get-well messages to be posted on the company's www.hangintherejack.com website. Jack emerged from his coma March 4, Dan Neil reports, "newly inspired."

At Jack's direction, the chain will undertake a brand makeover this spring, including a new logo, redesigned store environments and a new corporate website that launched Monday.

The six-week "Hang in There Jack" campaign was a 360-degree social media event that mocked -- even as it exploited -- the power of YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, Neil writes. There were 27 get-well videos from fans, and a man in Hawaii bought Jack's size-14 Bruno Magli shoe on eBay for $910.

Of course, there were also negative comments like "Jack sucks" and "Your food makes me poop" that go with the Web 2.0 territory. No matter. "Given the overwhelming amount of response and engagement, we feel we've hit a home run," says Jack in the Box vp of marketing Terri Funk Graham.

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