North Castle Forms Digital-Marketing Unit

Marketers use all sorts of tactics to get their ideas across to teenagers—including pop culture tie-ins such as popular songs in commercials and product placement. With that age group in mind, North Castle Partners is looking to leverage the next potential big thing: digital marketing.

The Stamford, Conn., shop, which targets teens with work for Slim Jim and PHisoderm, is hoping to take advantage of the growing importance of wireless technology among the target with the launch of its Nextstep unit last week.

Headed by digital-marketing executive Jim Davis and agency partner Grant McDonald, Nextstep will use technologies such as MP3 download sponsorship and cell-phone text and picture messaging to market its clients’ products and services to the youth market.

“Teens are naturally very receptive to new ideas,” Davis said.

North Castle was impressed with Davis’ experience developing digital-marketing programs.

Though Nextstep will focus on teenagers in the near term, Davis stressed that the unit...