FUELED BY FRED, KIDS WANT A ZIPIT!

August 2, 2008 at 5:17 am (Product Review)

What’s a Zipit, and who the heck is Fred? If you’re a bona fide grown up, chances are you’ve probably never heard of Fred. (Or a Zipit, for that matter). But go ask your kids, they’ll tell you. They might even howl one of Fred’s signature lines, like “That’s so hackin’ cool!”

Fred (real name Lucas Cruikshank) is a slightly awkward 14 year old from small town Nebraska, whose character, a high-pitched, hyperactive six year old “with anger management issues” happens to be one of the biggest sensations ever to hit YouTube. Fred’s (er, Lucas’) self-shot amateurish videos have received over 50 million views  - more than Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers.

Recently, this online phenomenon teamed up with a company called Zipit Wireless, makers of a handheld WiFi Messaging device for teens and tweens. Fred can be seen IMing on his Zipit in several of his videos including, “Fred on Valentine’s Day” and “Fred Goes Swimming.” Now Fred has helped this under-the-radar brand become a wanted property with Fred fanatics around the world. “I want Zipit!” “Where can I get a Zipit!” “I luv my Zipit!” shout fans wildly on his comments page. Over half a million Fred followers visited a FredonZipit.com website last month alone, and tens of thousands sent a personalized Fred video message to none-other-than mom and dad, having himself Fred explain to them why they wanted a Zipit.

And if you think that Fred’s YouTube followers reacted negatively to his new spokeskid status, think again. They cheered him on. Careful not to alienate Fred loyalists, Zipit Wireless (through their ad agency WOO Agency), were careful not to sell Fred out, but rather stay true to his original character and formula. And after all, Fred wasn’t pitching another new breakfast cereal — the Zipit is actually a pretty cool device – one ironically parents love as much as kids. The Zipit lets tweenagers IM and text without racking up outrageous texting overage charges. Parents can set texting limits and curfews, and the device also offers built-in protection against messages from strangers.

So now that Fred helped get the message out on this new messaging device kids went crazy for, everything should have been cake, right? Wrong. Problem was, parents initially stumbled over the $149.99 retail price. Parents wrote in to zipitwireless.com, and kids sent messages to Fred’s IM account on his Zipit, asking to reduce the price. Wanting to keep Fred fans happy, Zipit Wireless took the feedback to heart and lowered the price to $49.99, while establishing an affordable monthly service platform that consumers are familiar with. For a flat rate of $9.99 per month, Users get unlimited IM & texting, and there are no hidden fees or overages, ever. Fred even nonchalantly mentions it in one of his videos, “Fred Goes Swimming,” angry that Kevin (his arch 1st grade nemesis) now spent less money on his Zipit than his mom did. Pretty hackin cool.

The Zipit Z2 is sold at zipitwireless.com, Target.com and BestBuy.com, and is available in select Target and Best Buy stores.