May 09, 2011 09:35 ET
Spend Smart Card, Featured Live on ESPN, Tonight on MTV
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - May 9, 2011) - BillMyParents, the teen payment solutions brand offered by Socialwise, Inc., (OTCBB : SCLW) announced today a weekend of unprecedented exposure for the BillMyParents brand and new BillMyParents Spend Smart card -- a prepaid reloadable card designed for teens, young adults and their parents, that can be used everywhere debit MasterCard is accepted. The national media rollout includes fully integrated broadcast, advertising and event programming on the ESPN and MTV television networks. BillMyParents reached millions of viewers this weekend on ESPN and continues its push on MTV tonight, spreading a simple and powerful message about the BillMyParents Spend Smart card. In the words of BillMyParents brand ambassador and professional skateboarding icon, Rob Dyrdek, "It's Safe. It's Smart. It's Money."
The BillMyParents Spend Smart card burst onto the national scene this weekend on ESPN with its first-ever national television commercial, integrated event-branding, digital advertising and multiple appearances during a 2-hour live ESPN broadcast of the first of four Street League Skateboarding Series events. The live ESPN audience of millions tuning into the SLS event witnessed winner Nyjah Huston hoisting a giant BillMyParents Spend Smart card, loaded with $150,000 in prize money. All four SLS events, sponsored by BillMyParents, will be broadcast live by ESPN this summer.
Tonight the BillMyParents brand and Spend Smart card are featured on MTV in a new episode of this season's "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory." The show airs on MTV at 10:30 p.m./9:30 CT. This season's "Fantasy Factory" is generating the strongest ratings in the show's history and is expected to capture over 3 million viewers this week and millions more impressions via digital distribution and subsequent airings of the show on MTV and MTV2 throughout the year. Featuring a guest-appearance by Rob's mom, the show emphasizes the importance of the parent-teen relationship when it comes to building smart spending habits, and showcases both the newly designed card and Spend Smart application.
"This is one of the biggest brand integrations I've ever done," said Rob Dyrdek, president of Dyrdek Enterprises, founder of Street League Skateboarding and BillMyParents brand ambassador. "I look at it this way -- I understand that to be successful you absolutely have to learn how to be financially responsible from a young age. But I didn't know that when I was younger, and I had to learn the hard way. Being the brand ambassador for BillMyParents gives me the opportunity to meaningfully help teens and actually build the foundation of someone's future success."
"We are thrilled to be involved in such a significant way with Rob and his high-profile entertainment properties," commented Mark Sandson, president and CEO of BillMyParents. "We are about to roll out substantial updates to our programs, and the timing could not be more perfect for us to get in front of the millions of people who follow Rob, 'Fantasy Factory' and Street League Skateboarding across all media channels."
The BillMyParents Spend Smart card includes features that everyone will appreciate, including the ability to easily load and reload the card online, track spending and card balance instantly via text alerts whenever purchases are made, and lock or unlock the card with the push of a button if the card is lost or stolen and -- if necessary -- to block usage. Parents and teens can also invite other family members and friends to contribute to the card for special occasions or recurring deposits, with no credit risk, worries about overdrafting, or hidden fees. The BillMyParents Spend Smart card encourages timely discussions about spending -- talks that can result in teachable moments for teens, young adults and their parents.
For more information, please visit: www.billmyparents.com
About BillMyParentsBillMyParents provides payment solutions targeted to teens, young adults and their parents. Our solutions facilitate communication between parents and young people and help teach financial responsibility. Follow us on Facebook @BillMyParents. For more information: www.billmyparents.com.
About Socialwise, Inc.Socialwise, Inc. (OTCBB : SCLW) is headquartered in San Diego, CA. and is currently seeking shareholder approval to change its legal name to BillMyParents, Inc. For more information: www.socialwise.com
