JVC Gets Wild

NEW YORK — Taking aim at the skateboarding, heavy metal blaring 18- to 29-year-old male, JVC launched its company wide "Ride the Wild Side" promotion, here. Meanwhile, it continued appealing to a broader audience by sponsoring the JVC Jazz Festival-New York.

Helping to kick off the raucous affair was Nikki Sixx, founding member of the rock band Motley Crue, and Shaun Palmer, the snowboarder/mountain biking winner of the 2000 ESPY Awards for Extreme Sports. Their screaming visages will grace the JVC Times Square billboard, which was also unveiled here.

Under the Wild Side promo, consumers who purchase JVC products will have the opportunity to obtain products from music and action sports brands, including Fender Guitars, Palmer Snowboards, Hoffman BMX Bikes and Capital Records. For every purchase of qualifying JVC products from the audio, video, color television, mobile entertainment and recording media divisions, consumers will receive Wide Side points that can be exchanged for these products.

Consumers and successful retail sales associates alike will have a chance to win a Wild Side Weekend of their choice (snowboarding with Palmer, a concert with Sixx, or skateboarding with extreme sportsman Jason Maxwell). The promotion runs through Sept. 30.

The JVC Jazz Festival, which runs from June 17-30, was kicked off with a celebration and dinner on the lawn of Gracie Mansion in Manhattan. During the event, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani officially proclaimed "June as JVC Jazz Month," saying, "Jazz may have been born in New Orleans, but it came of age in New York City."

JVC has hosted the festival for 18 of its 29 years in existence. This year, the lineup includes such artists as Nina Simone, Cesaria Evora and Diana Krall. The Eric Reed Quartet played during the kickoff. Also present at the event were festival founder George Wein, JVC president/CEO Katsuhiko Hattori and executive VP/COO Harry Elias.