LeBron James has teamed up with HP to create a new online cartoon series entitled "The LeBrons" that is designed to engage fans of all ages, but notably kids. LeBron has embarked on a brilliant online content strategy that allows him to integrate his corporate partners into the mix, with characters in the series wearing Nike apparel, using HP products, using Bing for web searches, and listening to Beats by Dre headphones.
In just 10 days, the first episode of The Lebrons has attracted nearly 800,000 views on YouTube and the second episode has attracted nearly 300,000 views in just a matter of days.
The LeBrons web series is just another example of how professional athletes can further build their brands into a complete empire using a variety of channels (social media, television, retail, etc.). Athletes no longer rely on the media to drive their brand - they drive it themselves. The Lebrons series is hosted on a designated YouTube page that features advertising courtesy of LeBron's portfolio of corporate partners (Bing, Sprite, Nike, HP, etc.).
The animated cartoon series features four (4) different versions of LeBron and effectively ties back to LeBron's kid-friendly Nike campaign that dates back a few years. Check out the first two episodes of "The LeBrons" below as well as a trailer that provides a sneak peak of other things you can expect from the series: