Breaking the Marketing Mold

Recently, I heard some kids on campus talking about “Alex from Target”. On Twitter, I saw a mention of apparently the same person. I had no idea who Alex was or why people were talking about him. Eventually, he was shining under the national spotlight. He made an appearance on Ellen today, and prior to that, Good Morning America cleared up the reason for his sudden popularity.

For those who don’t know, “Alex from Target”  became a viral sensation recently. He wasn’t posting any interesting videos, sharing stories or the king of selfies. While on the job at a North Texas Target, someone snapped a photograph of Alex bagging someone’s purchases. The picture garnered attention from many young females for his looks. As CNET put it, “Alex from Target” possesses Beiberesque beauty (referencing Justin Beiber’s look early in his music career). In no time, millions of people had been exposed to Alex, primarily through the #alexfromtarget on Twitter.

The thing that the masses didn’t know (and most people still don’t know) is that Alex did not become famous by chance. A young company, Breakr, set up the whole scenario. It had someone who saw an opportunity to capitalize on the looks of Alex. With his approval, Breakr had someone take the photograph that would eventually be tweeted by a third party. That tweet led to “Alex from Target” going viral. Breakr’s goals are to get people noticed and try to land them brand deals. Now, Breakr’s CEO has already announced that he is trying to negotiate a deal with Target on Alex’s behalf. The story that swept the nation and a portion of the globe was just a well-planned marketing ploy.