Celebrity Social Media Campaigns Go Live With @BAT

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), the company reinventing endorsement and celebrity marketing, has launched @BAT, the social media extension of its market-leading Endorsement Platform. Marketers can now easily incorporate social media endorsements into cross-platform marketing campaigns, or reliably activate stand-alone campaigns featuring top athletes and celebrities. Goalshot, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) and Jeetyet Productions are among the first to go live with campaigns powered by @BAT. Celebrities participating in the inaugural @BAT campaigns include Super-Bowl-bound Nick Barnett of the Green Bay Packers, rap legend Snoop Dogg, and actor/producer/recording artist Donnie Wahlberg.

Goalshot, a popular training device for soccer enthusiasts, is using @BAT as part of an integrated 2011 marketing campaign featuring Jozy Altidore of the U.S. National Soccer team and Cobi Jones, formerly with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The campaign includes social media as well as appearances, memorabilia, and inclusion in direct marketing and website efforts.  

"BAT is a one-stop partner for identifying the right talent and securing endorsement deals that support our brand messages and goals," said Aaron Siefker, President of Goalshot. "In a matter of days, we signed two of the hottest soccer stars for our cross-media campaign that will stand out with our target audiences."

@BAT is the most recent addition to BAT's suite of athlete and celebrity inspired offerings. Since coming to market in 2009, BAT has powered innovative endorsement campaigns for powerhouse advertisers such as AT&T, General Motors, Comcast, Intuit, and Samsung. Athletes and celebrities featured in recent BAT campaigns include Drew Brees, Kimberly Cole, Baron Davis, Walt Frazier, Mindy Kaling, Khloe Kardashian, Terrell Owens, Audrina Patridge, Rajon Rondo, Joel Stein, Nick Swisher, Clay Matthews and Kendra Wilkinson.

"We've found that 55% of Americans who use Facebook or Twitter have some sort of connection with or access to someone famous via online sources," said Ryan Steelberg. "@BAT gives advertisers a new opportunity to tap into the power of online fan communities, and to build strategic endorsement campaigns that reach core audiences across all media platforms."  

BAT's proprietary Endorsement Platform and unmatched relationships with thousands of celebrities guarantee deal acceptance and reach aligned with brand target audiences, unlike other services that focus simply on presenting proposed deals to celebrities.

IHG, the world's largest hotel group, recently launched its first Black Friday Twitter-exclusive promotion via its Twitter account @IHG_Deals.  Celebrities including Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers, Nate Robinson of the Boston Celtics, Nick Barnett of the Green Bay Packers, Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks, Shaun Phillips of the San Diego Chargers and stars Donnie Wahlberg and Ali Fedotowsky were all part of the hotel company's campaign to reach consumers who were looking for a good travel deal.  

"IHG's very first Twitter-exclusive Black Friday travel campaign was the largest of its kind in the hotel industry, and a sign of the increasingly important role social media will play in our marketing programs," said Del Ross, vice president, U.S. Sales & Marketing, IHG.  "@BAT delivered access to a powerful distribution channel: a celebrity with a devoted community of passionate fans and consumers who follow their every move."

Jeetyet Productions is slated to go live in the coming weeks with an @BAT social media campaign featuring Snoop Dogg.  Snoop Dogg will promote the Snoop Dogg layout built on Jeetyet Productions' downloadable "layers," the highly popular social media profiles and layouts customizer.

"We needed access to celebrities who would resonate with our target audiences, and align well with our brand identity – which is all about embracing individuality and having fun," said Andrew Sullivan of Jeetyet Productions. "@BAT has the deepest roster of celebrities, and the data to drive our selections for a high-performing campaign."

About Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.  (BAT)

Founded in 2007, BAT (http://brandaffinity.net) unlocks the marketing power of celebrity through research, endorsements, and interactive experiences. BAT's research engine provides daily analysis of more than 45,000 celebrities and athletes. Advertisers use this analysis on BAT's Endorsement Platform to identify, license, and activate the most effective talent for their campaigns. Currently available endorsement talent includes more than 3,700 athletes and recording artists. BAT also leverages its research and technology engine to engage consumers directly through Fantapper (www.fantapper.com), which brings interactive apps to celebrity images and text across the web. Connect with BAT and Fantapper on Facebook: at www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech and www.facebook.com/Fantapper and Twitter: @BATimpact.

SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies