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The News & Observer
The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)
July 10, 2002 Wednesday, FINAL EDITION p
dated: 9:09 AM
Britney goes wireless
By ERIC R. DANTON, The Hartford Courant
You've probably accepted by now that Britney Spears is never
going to call, even if she actually had your number. That doesn't
mean, however, that she won't leave you voice mail -- for a
price.
For $19.99, you can purchase a three-month subscription to Britney's
wireless fan club, which entitles you to "surprise"
voice and text messages delivered right to a mailbox you can
access from your mobile phone.It's the latest in the marketing
of Brand Britney, this time under the guidance of WFX, a New
York wireless network working to marry the latest technology
and entertainment fads.
"Lots of people were thinking about how to sell content
and how to deliver content and how to make the wireless device,
the cell phone, into a medium for entertainment," says
Jed Alpert, president and chief executive officer of WFX. "A
celebrity's voice is a very powerful thing, intimate information
about a celebrity is a very powerful thing and a cell phone
is a powerful thing that everyone has with them."Currently
available exclusively at Best Buy stores, other retailers will
soon stock Britney WFX, Alpert says. Fans who buy the Britney
kit get goodies including a replica all-access backstage pass
and a static cling decal.
They also get a phone card-size piece of plastic with a sultry
picture of Britney on the front and an access code on the back
that allows them to receive pre-recorded voice and text messages
from the pre-packaged singer and her retinue."Britney was
a very natural first one to start with, because she has a very
dedicated fan base," Alpert says.
Alpert says the company has plans to create wireless fan clubs
for other entertainers and expand into the sports world, too.
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