Is nothing real anymore? Marketing startup claims credit for #AlexFromTarget

Dil-Domine Jacobe Leonares, the CEO of a new company called Breakr, has come forward to claim responsibility for the sensation in a LinkedIn post, first spotted by CNET’s Chris Matyszczyk. Breakr, he says, is meant to connect “fans with their fandom” and help small content creators spread their messages—implying that Breakr is the future’s Internet factory for teen heartthrobs.

Nothing is real.

Alyssa Bereznak, Yahoo Tech columnist

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Target was in on the stunt. According to Leonares, the idea to share a photo of Alex—whose full name is Alex Lee—came from a member of Breakr’s kid fan base (which is apparently a thing that exists). That member worked with Alex and asked for his permission to take a photo. After he complied, the photo was tweeted from one of Breakr’s “fangirls” (employees?) in London, and it caught fire from there. Still, many users have taken to social media to say Breakr has no data to back up its claims.