Global Gaming Firm Loaded Facilitated the Multi-faceted Deal with the Creator and On Board to Lead Journeys’ Foray into Gaming
Journeys, the leading specialty footwear retailer for teens, announced that one of today’s top streamers and popular gamers, Karl Jacobs (@karljacobs), will be advising the company as its Creative Ambassador. With a total of more than 28M followers across platforms, Karl will leverage his gaming and retail experience, as well as his personal passion for the brand to introduce Journeys to the vast gaming community.
Karl will work closely with the Journeys team to develop and support content strategies and digital marketing initiatives that resonate with the gaming community throughout 2022, including summer, back-to-school and holiday campaigns, among others. He joins Journeys after a year of impressive growth for the company, which saw the retailer set an all-time record of sales and operating profit for 2021. As the company expands into new audiences, Karl brings his authentic POV as an active gamer and streamer with insights into digital content and social strategy for this specific audience.
Originally rising to prominence as a part of MrBeast’s on-screen talent team, Karl Jacobs has quickly become one of the internet’s most beloved and most watched creators on the planet. As a gamer, podcast host and creator, Karl is the second most concurrently watched streamer on Twitch and his podcast, “Banter with Sapnap and Karl Jacobs” recently debuted at number 1 on the Spotify Podcast Charts. A self-made entrepreneur, Jacobs successfully launched his own line of merchandise late-2021 with the support of fans and fellow creators. Karl’s passion for connecting with audiences at the intersection of creativity and gaming is a perfect match for Journeys’ ethos: to empower and promote the next generation.
“We are excited to have Karl Jacobs join the Journeys’ family. He immediately stood out to us as someone who shares our passion for creativity, authenticity and self-expression – with unparalleled enthusiasm and a work ethic to match. He will play an integral role in our strategic approach to introducing ourselves and engaging with the gaming community in an authentic and meaningful way,” said Kari Irons, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Journeys. “Gaming is fueling youth culture right now and we know we need to earn our place and build trust with the community first. We are ecstatic for the value and expertise Karl brings in guiding us through this and also for our partnership with gaming firm Loaded in connecting us to creators and content partners like Karl, who share our core values and want to build long-lasting partnerships and connections.”
Karl Jacobs added, “As the newly appointed Creative Ambassador for Journeys, I’m excited to combine my love for gaming, creativity and fashion to introduce a new generation of gamers as well as people in general to the brand.”
The partnership with Karl is part of Journeys’ larger initiative to continue serving as an extension of teen lifestyles. Global gaming firm Loaded identified Karl as the perfect gaming partner for Journeys based on their proprietary data technology and helped facilitate the deal for Journeys with Karl’s management company Night Media. Loaded also serves as the brand consultant for the retailer, developing creator and content strategies for Journeys as it makes its foray into gaming.
“Loaded’s Brand Advisory Business is helping brands such as Journeys enter the gaming zeitgeist in a more strategic and authentic way. Journeys understands that working with the gaming community shouldn’t be just a one-off campaign, but a long term initiative that is integrated into a brand’s marketing strategy,” said Nadia Tseng, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Loaded. “We are excited to continue working with Journeys on how they are engaging new audiences through gaming, creator and content partnerships.”
