Bolt, a leading communication platform for teens and young adults, today announces the launch of the “Ford Focus Sound Check Tour – Presented with Bolt and Freevibe.com.” The free concert series will tour malls in 18 markets nationwide and feature performances by 2KSounds artist Brooke Allison and Columbia Records group Play.
Ford Motor Company is the title sponsor of the tour. Freevibe.com, the youth Web site of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, is a partner in the tour.
As the title sponsor of the Ford Focus Sound Check Tour, Ford Motor Company will provide event attendees with a sneak preview of the all-new 2002 five-door Ford Focus ZX5 via an interactive, on-site car display. On stage, a Focus ZX3 equipped with massive speakers capable of turning out more than 160 decibels will serve as the event sound system. The tour also will feature a Ford component on www.bolt.com, where teens can view digital photos from the events, check out tour dates and share their opinions about the tour with Bolt’s five million members worldwide.
“The Ford Focus is a smart choice for young car buyers and the Sound Check Tour offers us an opportunity to introduce younger consumers to the versatile five-door Focus ZX5 while promoting up-and-coming artists,” said Bob Fesmire, Focus marketing manager. “Bolt’s mass appeal with the teen segment provides the perfect partner for Focus.”
As part of Freevibe.com’s involvement in the tour, concert attendees will have the opportunity to consider their “Anti-Drugs” – the interests and activities which stand between them and drugs – and share them in an effort to create the “World’s Longest Graffiti Scroll” at 750 feet long. The scroll will travel with the tour nationwide and be submitted for the Guinness World Record at the tour’s completion.
Promotional elements for the tour include an integrated online and offline campaign designed to engage teens and young adults with the Ford Focus and other tour sponsors. Bolt will conduct targeted email marketing to its members and feature branded banners throughout the site. In addition, event attendees will be encouraged to extend their experience by visiting the Ford Focus online photo flipbook on Bolt, where they can view event photos and share them with friends, further spurring the opportunity for viral marketing.
“Thanks to our unique tools and services, more than five million teens and young adults turn to Bolt to communicate about everything – and this interaction extends to the offline environment as well. We’re excited to help Ford and the Office of National Drug Control Policy establish relationships and deliver their messages to this critical consumer segment,” said Dan Pelson, Chairman & CEO, Bolt, Inc.
The tour, which launches September 28, 2001 in Denver, CO, runs through October 29, 2001 with the final stop in Seattle, WA. The Ford Focus Sound Check Tour will also visit Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
Focus was the first car ever to be named both North American Car of the Year and European Car of the Year. Setting new standards for small car roominess, comfort, driving dynamics and stylish appearance. Focus appeals to a tremendously diverse group of buyers. For 2002 Focus offers the most comprehensive array of models (3-door, 4-door, 5-door, station wagon, and high-performance coupe) in the small car category. Focus continues to be the best-selling car in the world. For more information on the Ford Focus, visit media.ford.com.
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is the largest and most comprehensive public health media campaign ever undertaken by the Federal Government. Congress authorized a five-year multi-media campaign designed to educate and enable America’s youth to reject illegal drugs. The Campaign targets youth ages 11-18, but focuses especially on the vulnerable “tween” audience, ages 11-14. The “What’s Your Anti-Drug?” initiative is part of a nationwide advertising and community outreach campaign that has reached millions of youth since it was launched late last year. Already, the “My Anti-Drug” brand is recognized by 80 percent of the nation’s teens and tweens. Several celebrities have participated in the effort, including *NSYNC, Destiny’s Child and Christina Aguilera, and tens of thousands of kids have responded online and through the mail with answers that ranged from a single word to creative expressions, including art, music, photography and poetry. More than 140,000 “Anti-Drugs” have been submitted to date.
Bolt is a universal communications platform for 15- to 24-year-olds with five million registered members worldwide. Whether on the Web, via wireless devices or at offline events, Bolt provides services such as e-mail, clubs and instant messaging, and offers proprietary tools including Tagbooks(TM), People Search and Bolt Notes, that allow young adults to communicate in a relevant, member-created context. As a result of its relationship with and access to millions of teens, Bolt provides customized marketing solutions and research for blue-chip clients, including Procter & Gamble and Kodak, who look to manage and deepen their relationship with young adults. Bolt has sites in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and, with wap.bolt.com, launched the first wireless platform for teens. Bolt is headquartered in New York. Bolt’s wireless offerings are accessible via the WAP menus of major U.S. and Canadian wireless service providers, including AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless, Bell Mobility and TELUS Mobility, and on Bolt’s wireless platform at wap.bolt.com.