Justin Bieber Has a Zit? OMG, No Way!

(Fellow blogger Ruth’s Bieber-themed post inspired me to write about the boy wonder, so for all you Beliebers out there hold on to your pants. Seriously.)

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Justin Bieber must think he’s the luckiest kid alive right now. The 16 year-old Stratford, ON native has catapulted himself to international stardom by flexing his vocal chops on YouTube all while capturing the hearts of millions of squealing girls all over the world. The teen idol has lent his name to a whole range of items, from a look-alike Ken version of himself to nail polish to even headphones.

Those who may have seen his television ads with Proactiv however would be aware that the company has added Bieber to their growing roster of celebrity endorsers who include singer Mandy Moore, actress Jenna Fischer (aka. Pam from The Office) and rapper/mogul Sean Combs. Here’s the commercial anyway for those who haven’t seen it (or just want an excuse to ogle him):

Guthy-Renker, the company behind Proactiv, reportedly shelled out nearly $3 million over the next two years for the teen idol to become one of their many spokespersons. The same article in the link mentions how the company is hoping to leverage much of Bieber’s popularity with the teen girl market in order to boost sales.

Sure, Justin’s tween fans may not have the purchasing power to buy Proactiv themselves, but their parents probably do – and this is exactly what the company wants, to have legions of mothers buy the product online where the company makes nearly 60% of its sales. They realize that anything Justin Bieber touches turns into gold (figuratively of course) and that there is a legitimate opportunity in marketing directly to teens when before their celebrity endorsers largely catered to a more mature crowd. Any success with the teen crowd will translate into free word-of-mouth marketing wherein teens will extol the virtues of Proactiv and urge their BFFs to try it out, making their BFFs’ parents consider purchasing the product.

See guys, it’s a never-ending cycle.

Parents, take heed: do not underestimate Tween Power.