iFUSE Kicks Off Print Branding Effort

iFUSE, a new content site aimed at hip youngsters, on Monday launched a $10 million print branding campaign to build its image with its target audience.

The campaign’s theme is “Fight the Monster,” which refers to various evils, including fear, stupidity, insecurity, mind numbing routine, rusty approaches and outmoded ways of thinking. Ads were created by Butler, Shine and Stern.

The print ads, which will appear in Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and Urb, show signs of a reptilian adversary in various locations. In one, a young couple watches the beast’s silhouette in an underground parking ramp. In another, a tail slides around the corner of a girls’ locker room. The final ad shows a Latino kids spotting the “Monster” from an urban rooftop.

“The theory here is that the youth audience doesn’t need anything ‘explained’ but prefers to discover for itself,” said Stefan Gerard, vice president of marketing at iFUSE.

Another segment of the campaign using the same slogan, but created by Black Market Visual Communications, will appear in certain action sports publications. These ads tie the “Monster” to imagery linked specific sports, such as surfing and skating.