The Jonas Brothers, as anyone with a teen or tween knows, are arguably the hottest TV and music stars for that genre today. So it was interesting to see the announcement that LG Electronics, which uses their sports marketing platform to reach the male consumer in many ways, partner with the three New Jersey natives to launch a consumer contest for kickball this week. The move makes sense for many reasons. On the Jonas Brothers side, it gives them a platform on an athletic side (they had a party last year renting out Dodgers Stadium to play baseball and have been seen at numerous sports events, so the sports idea is not that much of a personal departure) with a simple game that both their current fan base and others can relate to. It provides a great interractive component for their current fans, who can submit a video or find a place to do so on green screen, with a great personal payoff by the winners who get to meet and play with the Jonas Brothers. It also gives LG a very unique opportunity to show their products and push them not just to parents but to a younger audience as well…an audience that may not think of LG when asking about what to buy next. In short, LG gets to talk to youth…and the Jonas Brothers, who wont always appeal to a young audience, get to speak to the parent consumer and use a healthy lifestyle platform to extend their base as well. Nice combination for both brands looking to grow, at a time when Americans are looking for ways to conenct more closely with stars and also find more active lifestyle platforms.
Some other good reads…the LA Daily News had a good profile of former Dodgers head of communications Camille Johnston, now on the Obama staff…and forbes.com had a good piece on the most resilient brands and what makes them successful
