Consumer products juggernaut Procter & Gamblesigned a
two-year, multi-brand sponsorship deal with Bolt, a Web site and communications platform
that caters to 15- to 20-year-olds.
Bolt said it will leverage its proprietary suite of tools and services and
its interactive relationship with its approximately 3.5 million members to
develop strategic marketing programs for a number of P&G brands including
Pringles, Pantene, Always and Tampax.
In addition to the exposure, P&G gets custom research that utilizes Bolt’s
proprietary teen-segmentation model that is expected to give the consumer
products company insight into today’s younger consumers. Financial specifics
of the deal were not disclosed.
Among the sponsorship venues is “Hair Help” featuring Pantene, which allows
Bolt members to submit hair questions and solicit expert advice from other
members while interacting with Bolt’s proprietary offerings such as Bolt
Polls and Bolt Tagbooks.
Other P&G-powered programs include “Fact or Fiction,” sponsored by Always and
Tampax, which serves as a resource for member queries regarding feminine
health issues. Additional tools for other P&G brands are in development, the
companies said.
“Our agreement with Bolt helps P&G connect with teens by providing relevant
information about several of our teen targeted brands through useful tools
and advertising,” said Doug Milne, i-brand manager of P&G iVentures. “By
leveraging our marketing expertise within the Bolt property, we can begin to
develop more engaged relationships with the next generation of consumers by
connecting them with our brands”
The P&G-sponsored interactive areas can be accessed at bolt.com, within the
recently launched co-branded AOL Teens Channel and on Bolt Everywhere, a teen
wireless platform. Bolt offers its members free communication services
including e-mail, voicemail, voice chat, Tagbooks, People Search, Bolt Notes,
message boards, instant messaging and wireless services.