Reaching teens can be tough, with their ability to block out whatever they perceive as uncool. It takes the right messenger with just the right message.

One such messenger is Judson Laipply, the motivational speaker who developed “The Evolution of Dance,” the hit YouTube video.

Advertisers can sponsor Laipply as he travels to high schools to perform.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of teen consumers in a captive setting, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts

What
Sponsorship of a tour of high schools by the inspirational speaker who developed “The Evolution of Dance,” the No. 1 most-viewed video and No. 1 favorite of all time on YouTube.

Who
Campus Media Group, headquartered in Bloomington, Minn.

How it works
Advertisers sponsor Laipply’s inspirational speaking tour of U.S. high schools. Laipply has been speaking to high school and college groups for the past seven years. The focus of his performance is about the power of choice when faced with life’s changes. Appearances last one hour and conclude with his popular dance routine.

This sponsored tour will include visits to schools that haven’t been able to afford his speaking fee, says director of marketing Jason Bakker. The tour will take place September through November 2008.

Sponsorship opportunities include:
- Product placement
- Sampling
- Verbal product endorsement
- On-stage product signage
- Signage t the entrance to the auditorium
- Promotion on the “Evolution of Dance” web site
- A student meet-and-greet event with sponsor logos as backdrop for photos

“The meet and greet with students after the show will be a red carpet event with advertiser backdrop where students can take photos with him to email to their friends, post on MySpace and Facebook and send on their cell phones. It’s online viral secondary exposure,” Bakker says.

Samples and literature can be handed out to students, with prior approval of the high school.

Promotional posters with the sponsor’s logo are sent to each school prior to the event.

Online promotions on the “The Evolution of Dance” web site include spotlight on the sponsor, ads and links.

Markets
High schools in any U.S. markets can be included. Up to 100 schools can be included in the tour.

Numbers
YouTube lists Laipply’s “The Evolution of Dance” video as the most viewed of all time with 87.5 million views. The video is also listed as the top favorite of all time.

How it is measured
Schools provide attendance numbers to estimate impressions.

Research
A recent study on teen spending habits, “Taking Stock with Teens,” by Piper Jaffray, the investment bank and research outfit, found that:
- Fashion accounts for 41 percent of teens’ budgets
- Spending on electronics increased 7 percent this year
- While teenage boys’ spending has increased in the video game category, girls’ spending has increased in the health and beauty category
- About 45 percent of students report spending more money at restaurants this year than last year.

What product categories do well
Banking, automotive, insurance, consumer products, bottled water, electronics, computers, and health and beauty aids are top categories.

Fast food and soft drinks are not a good fit because of health concerns.

Demographics
The tour audience is high school students, aged 14-18.

Specific groups can be targeted by market and location.

Making the buy
Lead time is one month. Sponsorship costs are $7,000 per show with a discount after 25 shows.

Literature, signage and samples are provided by sponsors.

Who’s already sponsoring the “The Evolution of Dance” tour
This is a new program.

What they’re saying
“He has keynoted for several of our youth conventions and done educational workshops for our members and advisors and faculty members from high schools and colleges. His message has been life is change and the whole dance piece is how he closes out his talk. It’s an incredible way to bring home the point. Students, adults, they all respond to his message and the way he delivers it.” -- Lanton Lee, director of Kiwanis International Youth Programs

Web site info
Campus Media Group at http://www.campusmediagroup.com