via The Normal Brand
Lan Sansone tries to make himself the perfect date for his longtime crush, Jennifer Lopez.
What happens when a world-famous celebrity likes and shares a post about you? Just ask the team at local apparel company, The Normal Brand.
In what could almost play out as a script for a Hollywood rom-com, actress and entertainer Jennifer Lopez shared an article about the St. Louis clothing brand famous for its "Midwest Lifestyle" aesthetic with the comment, "Love this.”
What happened next has quickly become a viral story that has the internet on fire with major media outlets including People magazine posting about the story. Lan Sansone, the 23-year-old sales director for the company founded by his older brother Jimmy, has had a crush on J. Lo since he was ten years old, so the team decided to have some fun by trying to win Lan a date with her.
See also: Jimmy Sansone's New Label, The Normal Brand, Takes Off
The hilarious and absolutely charming video and his accompanying story detailing his long held affection for the singer and her obvious charms is not only an endearing look at "first crushes" but a very clever way of marketing the company's laid-back and casual style.
As SLM reporteed in December, The Normal Brand launched in 2015 when Jimmy Sansone realized he was having trouble finding the comfortable-but-good-looking clothes his lifestyle demanded. He was searching for clothing that fit the lifestyle he and his brothers had grown up with, combining professional time with a lot of casual time spent in the country hunting and being with their friends. The brand’s advertising has always featured the good-looking brothers and their equally photogenic and outdoorsy friends. The line initially began with ball caps and quickly evolved into t-shirts, button downs, and separates for both men and women. The quality was great from the get-go, but it may have also been Sansone's charming personal thank you notes included with each purchase that helped set the brand on fire.
With a $50,000 Arch Grant last fall, the brand Sansone initially hoped might generate $70,000 has quickly grown to $500,000 in sales with projections for next year at over $2,000,000. There are also plans for more items in the line, and the brand has tapped heavily into the college market by appointing brand ambassadors around the country. It has been picked up by major retailers nationally as well as many boutiques regionally. Locally it is available at Fun in the Sun (both the Kirkwood and Chesterfield locations), Saks Fifth Avenue, Woody's, and Cha.
With so all of the effort, hilarity and good will that went into this video, we are most decidedly on Team Lan winning his date with the star! J. Lo, it's your move! We eagerly await the next chapter of this story…..
Want to help Lan get a date? Share the Facebook video and tag Jenny from the Block herself, Jennifer Lopez.
