Lady Gaga Calls on ‘Like’ Monsters

Finn Torode
February 07, 2011

If you love Lady Gaga, would you consider getting other fans to “like” Virgin Mobile in exchange for VIP access to the pop star’s upcoming tour?

That’s what Virgin Mobile wants to know. The company is calling on the singer’s fans to enter a contest that would award 10 people with the opportunity to follow Lady Gaga as official “tour bloggers.” The winners will have special VIP access to the show.

Virgin Mobile, presenter of the tour and part of Virgin Group Ltd., will choose nine people who live within 100 miles of the upcoming “Monster Ball Tour” venues, and one international winner. The tour stops in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and San Antonio, among other cities.

What’s in it for Virgin? Garner 1 million “likes” on Facebook by the end of the year.

To try to meet that milestone, Los Angeles-based social-media marketing company Talenthouse will collect video submissions from contestants and post them on Virgin Mobile’s website as well as other sites, and ask the public to vote on the submissions (Fledgling clothing designers, here’s your chance to partner with blogger hopefuls on some outrageous outfits.)

Before votes are taken, a pop-up will appear asking users to “like” Virgin Mobile on Facebook. Based on previous similar contests, each submission is expected to draw between 50 and 100 votes, Matt Wilkinson, VP brand relations at Talenthouse, told Marketing Daily.

Virgin is not the only company to use Gaga’s fame as a marketing tool. The “Fame Monster” is also working with Polaroid as its creative director, and last month she appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to reveal her Gray Label line, which includes a pair of Polaroid sunglasses that take photos.

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