Boy Band Proselytizers Takin' It to Backstreets

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Oct 31, 2000 Source: E! Online Submitted By: Becky by Mark Armstrong Oct 30, 2000, 5:45 PM PT Not since Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Patties has there been a marketing push this huge from America's teenage girls. But Girl Scout cookies be damned: We're talking about the new Backstreet Boys CD, Black & Blue, due in stores November 21. In what's turned into a massive, Internet-based marketing campaign--already enlisting nearly 13,000 members--the multiplatinum-selling boy band is hoping its rabid fan base (girls and boys, no doubt) will unite to help them shatter sales records, saturate MTV and the Web, and pretty much lead them to world domination. Or at least outsell 'N Sync. They're known as the Backstreet Boys Official Online Street Team, a volunteer group of Netizens organized by Southern California-based marketing company, M80. The Web guerrillas were hired by the Backstreet Boys' management group, the Firm, and the group's label, Jive Records, to build buzz for the new disc and its current single, "Shape of My Heart." And already, the tune has taken over the number-one spot on MTV's Total Request Live, and the street team is prepping to make sure its Boys eclipse 'N Sync's one-week album sales record of 2.4 million for No Strings Attached. The überfans' plea is urgent, as they persuade B-Boy believers, via the fan site www.backstreet.net, to take up the cause. "Please come and join the BSB-OOST, and help BOOST record sales for Black and Blue!!!" Once inside the message board headquarters (okay, we couldn't help but join the fight ourselves), fans are encouraged to assault their communities with Backstreet fever, putting up fliers, and deluging local radio stations with requests for "Shape of My Heart." In return, the volunteer army gets first crack at goodies like early glimpses of the album artwork and other surprises. The organizers do, however, stop short of encouraging their team to kidnap family members and make them pledge a life of devotion to Backstreet mania. "Don't bombard them," one message states, "just casually tell them that the new Backstreet Boys CD is coming out on November 21, and if they are a BSB fan, encourage them to join our team so they can help even more!" The team also warns that downloading tracks from Napster is baaad for the Boys. "Let's make sure all BSB fans know that such practices are hurting not only this team's goals but also taking away from the guys themselves." For years, marketing "street teams" have been a staple for rap acts--many of whom have shot to number one out of virtual obscurity, thanks to guerrilla marketing and neighborhood poster campaigns. Online armies aren't new, either, but media site Inside.com notes the Backstreet Boys' latest campaign is groundbreaking in its size and scope. M80, the company behind the push, says the popsters' management group knows what it's doing. "The key to this campaign has been having management's involvement from day one," Neupert tells Inside. "Typically, labels come to us and hire us, and management's always been kind of slow to come on board. In the Backstreet Boys case, the Firm built out internal resources that focus on the Internet, focus on marketing. I mean, they've kind of got a mini record label there." But just like those ubiquitous Girl Scout cookies, the Backstreet Boys aren't exactly a tough sell. The group's last album, Millennium, sold more than 11 million copies last year. That's a lot of cookies. Meanwhile, fans will have to wait until January to get their live fix of the quintet. Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean said that the group will launch its world tour January 23 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The boys will start with an eight-week stretch through North America, and take a two-week break before moving on to Asia and Australia. The group also is planning a stretch through Europe and South America before coming back to the U.S. for another six-week run. Comment on this item. Next Item: Backstreet Boy Talks About Extensive Black & Blue World Tour Prev Item: JIVE TALKIN'