Yesterday, I gave a webinar for the PRSA called “9.5 ways to cut through regardless of the economy.” Point number 7 was “keep it light” and refers to the fact, the more gloomy the economic climate, the more marketers need to lighten things up. This is especially true when targeting the under 30 crowd which tends to favor brands that can demonstrate a perverse sense of humor.
Virgin Mobile is one of those brands that continues to find fresh ways to engage its target, this time with news to amuse as reported by MediaPost:
AP, Virgin Mobile Offer Celebrity, Weird News The Associated Press and Virgin Mobile USA have teamed up to offer two new youth-oriented mobile sites focused on celebrity and unusual news, the companies said Tuesday. The AP Entertainment channel featured on the Virgin deck offers coverage of the music, film and TV industries along with celebrity news and gossip, while the “Can You Believe It?” site focuses on bizarre stories from around the world. The partnership includes an ad revenue-sharing agreement.
The pair of new sites will also serve as gateways to AP’s Mobile News Network, which drew more than 26 million page views in September.
“Our customers have a propensity for fun, entertainment and being clued in to what’s happening around them,” said Yomi Uaboi, product manager, data access for Virgin Mobile USA, in a statement. “By adding the AP sites, we are offering the widest coverage of breaking entertainment news from the most trusted source.”
Make no mistake about it, this is Marketing as Service for yutes.