Keds Goes on the Road With Pop-Rock Group 'The Veronicas'

LEXINGTON, Mass. (The Keds Corporation) - The Keds Corporation, a subsidiary of Stride Rite Corp., announced today that the footwear brand has entered into a co-marketing deal with pop-rock duo The Veronicas and Sire Records for their Spring 2006 US tour.

Their first nationwide headlining tour kicked off in Sacramento, California January 28, ends in San Diego in March and stops in New York to celebrate the release of their album The Secret Life Of... at the Avalon Feb 14. Keds is pairing up with the label for concert advertising and venue signage; along with radio promotions that include ticket give-aways and meet & greets; web promotions on https://www.keds.com with online links to band blogs and streaming music; and retail tie-ins to include in-store promotions and acoustic performances by The Veronicas at select stores. In addition, the group will perform a private concert for Keds and their guests on March 25th in Los Angeles, where the girls will take the stage in Keds' latest styles, such as the distressed champion, dolce fruit skimmers and kitchy skimmers.

The Veronicas, Jess and Lisa Origliasso, 21-year old twins from Brisbane, Australia, will release their debut album The Secret Life Of... on Sire Records Feb 14th. Their debut single "4ever" earned the pair a special ARIA nomination (Australia Recording Industry Association) as "Breakthrough Artist" in their homeland of Australia, where the album was released in October. Meanwhile in the US, The Veronicas have already charted on MTV's Total Request Live and were named an AOL Breaker artist by AOL Music and Radio Networks where they pick artists they believe are the next "big thing." Already receiving critical praises, The Veronicas have been featured in Teen Vogue, Teen People, Paper, Interview, ElleGirl, OK and Blender Magazines.

"We are excited to partner with The Veronicas on their US tour. The girls' edgy, lyrical sound coupled with their hip sense of style and fashion is the perfect fit for the Keds brand. Our association with The Veronicas is a cool way to continue to expose the Keds brand to this very important and influential younger consumer," says Jennifer Weiderman, Vice President of Marketing for Keds.