JL Audio Sounds Off With Funkmaster Flex

Business Wire, Feb 13, 2006

NEW YORK -- On the heels of Madison & Vine's Branded Entertainment Conference, JL Audio announced that it has signed celebrity DJ and automotive enthusiast, Funkmaster Flex to an endorsement agreement. Flex will be JL Audio's preeminent endorser throughout North America and will be actively engaged in promoting and marketing the high-end mobile entertainment line. This endorsement is the latest initiative in the long-standing marketing partnership between JL Audio and Funkmaster Flex. Currently, JL Audio is also a 4th year sponsor of the Funkmaster Flex Custom Car & Bike Show, a wildly successful 10-city tour that is entering its 5th year.

Recently, Flex has become one of the most successful celebrity endorsers in all of entertainment. The list of brands that have come calling are almost endless: Mattel, Ford, Motorola, Castrol, Sirius Satellite Radio, Cooper Tires, Yahoo, Pepsi, RJ Reynolds, GM, XM, Turtle Wax, US Army, Coor's, Quaker State, BF Goodrich, McDonald's and a host of others. To understand the frenzy that Flex can drive brands into, you need look no further than your kid's iPod (he's there), gaming titles (he's there too), radio (there as well), television (MTV, VH1, UPN, ESPN, Spike TV, BET), favorite magazine, or their web page on Myspace. In fact, a recent search of Funkmaster Flex on Google, netted over half a million hits.

Adds one auto industry exec, who spoke on the condition he not be named, "Flex's brand has reached staggering proportions and I'll give you a very clear example of this. For years brands, including Ford, have tried to land coveted spots on MTV's hit show, TRL. Ford signs Flex, and right out of the gate, he lands two vehicles on one of pop cultures most influential programs."

For JL Audio's part, they are looking to tap into some of that influence. Already accustomed to being the brand of choice for celebrities, rap stars and athletes alike, JL Audio soon discovered that many of these same personalities take their cues from tastemakers such as Flex, who also owns a high profile car-customization shop that is often featured on Spike TV's hit program, Ride w/ Funkmaster Flex. As part of the agreement, JL Audio product will continue to be integrated into Flex's upcoming shows.

"We're pumped to be re-upping with Flex, we're having a great run and wanted to build on our relationship," stated Andy Oxenhorn, JL Audio's President. "The ever-evolving car audio market represents a key foundation for our company and Flex continues to provides us with a platform, to connect with a hard-to-reach demographic, and thus continue our growth."

Flex agrees, "Before I even knew anyone at JL, I was a big fan of their products. They were in my personal vehicles. Which for me is important, because I won't stand next to a brand that's "cold" out on the streets, no matter what. So when Kenneth first spoke to JL, it was because I paid for the product out of my own pocket. When I did MTV Cribs, and showed my vehicles with JL Audio speakers, there was no relationship, but they did own the streets."

Ken Brooks, managing partner at CAE, whom structured the Flex/ JL Audio endorsement with Mr. Oxenhorn, adds " For me, the union of Flex - the world's most powerful DJ, and JL Audio - which produces the hottest sound systems in the business - was a no-brainer. And, a natural evolution for both parties after years of mutual support". Mr. Brooks has been a chief architect in almost every brand relationship Flex has entered, and also recently negotiated a wide-ranging multi-year endorsement deal between Flex and Greyhound.

JL Audio and Flex will co-promote via web, print, and a host of live events. The company may also use Flex's likeness on point-of-purchase materials for retail promotions. Terms of the wide-ranging deal were not disclosed.

About JL Audio

Headquartered in Miramar, Florida, JL Audio has been manufacturing award-winning, aftermarket auto sound components since the late 1980s. JL Audio products are sold exclusively through specialty retailers

throughout the U.S.A. and distributed in fifty-eight countries around the world. Recipient of numerous awards and accolades JL Audio was recently voted the #1 Overall car audio company for the fifth year in a row by Inside Track. JL Audio loudspeakers, amplifiers and subwoofers have been awarded eleven U.S. patents for innovative automotive audio technology. www.jlaudio.com

About Funkmaster Flex

Funkmaster Flex is the most-listened-to DJ in the New York area reaching more than 2 million listeners every week through his now-nationally syndicated radio program. When he's on the air, 10 percent of all New York radio listeners tune in to his Hot 97.1 station. Flex also hosts a half-hour ESPN2 series "All Muscle" and Spike TV's "Ride with Funkmaster Flex," which both highlight celebrity personalities and car fanatics such as Eminem, Blink 182, 50 Cent, Bernard Hopkins, Terrell Owens, and others with elements of car culture, including drag racing events and demolition derbies. www.funkmasterflex.com