I was pleasantly surprised to see this write-up in the LA Times about the partnerships brands are forming with Varsity Spirit to reach teens through cheerleading and dance.  Before moving down to my current role, I actually started this partnership for P&G, first signing up Secret as a sponsor and then expanding the deal to include Herbal and Cover Girl.  Cheerleading has exploded into the mainstream (look at Heroes with “Save the cheerleader, save the world”) and the girls are highly influential.  Frankly I am surprised more brands looking to tap into the youth market haven’t worked with Varsity to reach this group.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ll be at the IEG Sponsorship Conference in Chicago next Monday giving a presentation on Youth Marketing.  Entitled “Youth Marketing is no longer a demographic…it’s a mindset”, the presentation looks at how brands need to leverage the youth market to learn how to market in new, meaningful ways.  It’s a collection of insights I gathered during my time as Teen External Relations Manager for P&G Beauty and as the founder of the Teen/Youth Expert Network at Procter & Gamble.  Hope you enjoy and I would love your feedback.  I still have time to make changes before Monday if you have any thoughts!

[slideshare id=301912&doc=dave-knox-ieg-2008-presentation-on-youth-marketing-1205251427582343-4&w=425]