You may be surprised at who you see wearing Warped gear very soon, and where they’re at. Warped Sportz has hooked-up with four prominent punk / underground rock bands for apparel sponsorship. 
 H20, Gob, Midtown, and Mest are the first four bands to be officially sponsored with Warped Sportz clothing. The bands regularly headline and sellout medium to large size theaters seating between 2,000 and 5,000.

 “I want to emphasize that this is a very genuine and organic project,” said Warped Sportz Marketing Director Dan Napoli. “This is not one of those things where we are just grabbing a celebrity at an event, and sticking them in our jersey for a token photo op. We have personal relationships with these bands, and are into them either as people, or their music, or usually both.”

The project is leading to an overall expansion and growth in Warped’s apparel line.  

“Our apparel, design-wise, has moved in a direction where we feel comfortable putting it next to apparel made companies like Volcom, Hurley, and Element. Also, we’ve increased the range of sizing available, to speak to the trends that are going on in the youth apparel market.”  

Napoli notes the success of other apparel companies and their association with artists. “We are following a path that was pioneered by companies like Volcom, Hurley, and Atticus.”

Hurley may be the best example of successful marketing through being association with music artists. “Right as Hurley got going strong, In late1998  / early 1999, they hooked up with Blink 182, prior to the release of the Enima of The State record,” adds Napoli. “That record came out in June, and really blew up by the fall, selling millions of copies. Blink suddenly was plastered all over MTV and magazines wearing Hurley gear. That type of association and exposure can do incredible things for a company, things that are hard to created otherwise.”

Warped won’t simply be copping what other companies have done. “We certainly will be adding our own twist to this project. I think what we are doing interactively with the bands in terms of our website will certainly give it a unique flavor.”

 Napoli notes there will be a deeper level of connection in Warped’s involvement with the bands as well. In addition to providing apparel as tour support, www.warpedsportz.com now features bio information, tour dates, discography and web links to the official homepage of all the bands. 

“At one point, we hope to offer ticket giveaways and special limited cds.”

 H20, signed to MCA Records, is on tour for the rest of 2002 with Box Car Racer, which is a side project for members of Blink 182. Gob, recently picked up by Arista Records, is currently on the Punk-O-Rama tour. Maverick Record’s Mest has just finished headlining a U.S. club tour, as did MCA Record’s Midtown.
 

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