A few weeks ago, the BHS Owl received a mysterious piece of mail. No bigger than a textbook, the envelope was tan colored, of average shape, and relatively light – inconspicuous. Upon opening the package, however, Mr. Wright, a tenured LA teacher at BHS, met a rather conspicuous pair of piercing blue eyes. Mr. Wright’s initial reaction was one of, “horror and confusion.” Peering inside the envelope revealed thick stacks of calendars and bookmarks, all adorned with the delightfully pouty face of a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Benson Boone.
Benson is a 22-year-old musician from Monroe, Washington, who started out playing for his high school band and then auditioned for American Idol, from which he later dropped out. In an interview with People Magazine Benson said, “I want people to know I’m not just some guy who cries in his room and writes ballads,” he says, “I’m more than that.” So much more, in fact. From being a competitive diver in high school to writing a song about his grandma, Mr. Boone has done it all. According to his recent single “Beautiful Things,” he even sees his, “family every month,” undoubtedly a quality that has earned him the status of a teenage heartthrob and the tagline #swoonforboone.
Up until receiving this mysterious mail, few in the newsroom had heard of Benson Boone. Now though, Benson Boone is a hot topic for the BHS community, especially within Mr. Wright’s classes. The commotion generated by Benson Boone’s calendars and bookmarks led many to believe that the “mysterious package” did not arrive by coincidence. Max Kabjian ‘24 said, “Mail seldom sends itself.” I personally think this is too brilliant of a marketing strategy to have been accidental. However, Mr. Boone’s marketing team did not respond to requests for comment. This suspicion is further supported by the appearance of similar Benson Boone merchandise in other high school newspaper classes around the country. Downers Grove North High School’s newspaper, The Omega, also received a package of Benson Boone bookmarks and calendars. They astutely remarked, “Who is this guy, and why does his poster look like he’s blankly staring into my soul?” The Current and Northmen News also received promotional Benson Boone merch.
Given that “Beautiful Things,” Mr. Boone’s newest single, was released on January 18th, 2024, and The Owl received the merchandise only a few days later, the two events appear to be correlated. Mr. Boone has seemingly arrived at a cost-effective and low-maintenance marketing strategy: send relatively cheap merchandise to high school newspaper classes around the country, knowing that it would cause intrigue and might just lead to inevitable articles like the one you are reading right now. As a result, thanks to the free marketing provided by the unpaid journalists, thousands will be exposed to Benson and his music. Intrigued readers might then fall in love with his porn stache and his profound vocals prompting them to maybe watch a few music videos, follow him on Instagram, stream his latest album, or throw down sixty bucks to see him live at the Fillmore in Denver. If this is the case, well played, Benson Boone, and… you’re welcome 🙂
