Classic "Pimp My Ride" Episode Featured Black Fives
This is a video clip that’s a blast from the past, when I was still producing throwback jerseys and selling them wholesale.
|
|
Xzibit wore Black FivesThis was when Black Fives made one of its first national television appearances ever. It was on MTV’s Pimp My Ride with host Xzibit, when he wore a Black Fives branded jersey.
“Lime Green Beetle” was one of the show’s most popular episodes and became a classic.
You might remember it.
Here are some snips:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmWh2ALDxLA
(Update: Here’s why YouTube removed this video …)
“Pimp My Ride” was kinda like the Holy Grail of television product placement at the time.
The way this came about was that I got a call one day out the blue from Xzibit’s manager in Los Angeles, asking if I could send him some gear for X to wear on the show. He had found out about Black Fives somehow.
After realizing it was legit, I sent a care package out there. My approach back then was that I always responded to every request from stylists, managers, editors, publicists, athletes, agents, and wardrobe assistants with 100% enthusiasm, helpfulness, urgency, and reliability. And, I didn’t hold back on the good sh–.
I believed back then, as I do today, that how you do anything is how you do everything. People just know that anyway, instinctively, so it’s not like you’re gonna fool anybody.
I got a lot of follow up requests that way, and also a lot of love through word of mouth props. I never had to solicit a single product placement.
But it doesn’t mean I got a “thank you” every time, or that the merchandise I sent always made it into the show, or the shoot, or the layout. You never knew what was gonna happen, or when, even if they promised or insisted how much they loved it. You just sent the stuff out and got back to work.
So that’s what I did. Then a few days later, all these people started calling and emailing and asking, all excited, if I saw my jersey on the show!
After that, Xzibit and his manager were real cool with me. They did more on the air with Black Fives. We stayed in touch, and I know that X also wore my stuff a lot off the set in his regular life, and talked about the history with his friends, which was even more great.
How you do anything is how you do everything.
What are you doing next to make history now?
[…] didn’t like the video clip I included in my Pimp My Ride post from the other […]
Great story resulting in even greater results. Just goes to prove there’s no such thing as bad PR. Next time you send out goods, include that you are allowed to “document the usage of B5’s goods as proof of permission and future reference.” Also, on our site’s portfolio section, we state “this does not necessarily constitute an endorsement…That allows the viewer to come to their own conclusion without you making a claim.
BJ