Deal with RCA/JIVE Brings Music Stars to BAT's Endorsement Platform

IRVINE, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), the company reinventing endorsement and celebrity marketing, has signed a deal with RCA/JIVE Label Group, a label group of Sony Music Entertainment, to bring music stars to its Endorsement Platform.  The RCA/JIVE recording artists are the first music celebrities to join BAT's Platform, which advertisers use to research, license, and activate the most effective celebrity talent for their campaigns.  Artists can now go from the top of the charts to a live ad campaign in just a matter of days.  Among those under the RCA/JIVE Label Group are Adam Lambert, Britney Spears, Ciara, Daughtry, David Archuleta, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, P!nk, R. Kelly, Santana, T-Pain, and Usher.

"BAT has revolutionized the business of celebrity marketing, and opened up a world of possibilities for celebrities and advertisers who understand the mutual value in endorsements and promotions," said Karen Lamberton, Senior Vice President of Soundtracks, Film and TV and Strategic Marketing of RCA/JIVE Label Group.  "At a time when advertisers are seeking deeper connections with consumers, we are excited about this partnership."

The deal adds a multitude of today's most popular music celebrities to BAT's Platform, and is the first of the company's anticipated celebrity category expansions.  To date, BAT's 3,600- celeb strong talent roster has focused primarily on sports, including marquee active and retired players in nearly every sport, such as Drew Brees (NFL), Jorge Posada (MLB), Rajon Rondo (NBA), Brooks Robinson (MLB – Hall of Fame), Walt Frazier (NBA – Hall of Fame), and Lennox Lewis (Boxing), as well as Olympic athletes.

"As BAT continues to explore new ways to harness the power of celebrity, we believe music is the next natural talent extension for our Platform," said Ryan Steelberg, President and CEO of BAT.  "Research consistently shows that consumers are strongly influenced by, and loyal to the musicians they follow.  We selected RCA/JIVE as our music launch label, in part, because of the deeply emotional connections consumers have with the flagship artists in their family."

BAT just closed on a $20M round of funding to help finance expansion.  The investment will fuel further development of netBAT (BAT's new consumer-facing service that transforms celebrity editorial into an interactive experience stocked with relevant multimedia apps), extension of BAT's Platform into music and other celebrity categories, and international expansion.

About RCA/JIVE Label Group

RCA/JIVE Label Group is comprised of RCA Music Group (J Records, Arista Records, RCA Records, Polo Grounds, and Battery Records) and JIVE Label Group (Jive Records, LaFace Records, Volcano Entertainment, Battery Records and Verity Gospel Music Group).  RCA/JIVE Label Group consists of a diverse roster of internationally renowned artists including Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, Outkast, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Usher,  Dave Matthews Band, Jamie Foxx, Buddy Guy, Daughtry, Foo Fighters, Three Days Grace, Whitney Houston, Tool, Ciara, Sarah McLachlan, Kirk Franklin, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Hudson, Donnie McClurkin, Kings of Leon and many more.  RCA/JIVE Label Group is a unit of Sony Music Entertainment. 

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 40,000 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 3,600 athletes and celebrities. BAT also leverages its research engine to engage consumers directly through netBAT (www.netbat.com), which transforms celebrity content into interactive app experiences on leading websites. Learn more about BAT in Fortune Magazine at www.fortune.com/bat. Connect with BAT on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech and Twitter: @BATimpact.

SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies