Man, Did You See That Logo?

Man seeks career as human billboard

LACONIA, N.H., July 17 (UPI) -- A Laconia, N.H., tattoo enthusiast said he has found a way to make extra cash from his hobby by renting himself out as a human billboard.

Victor Thompson, 39, said he is charging $200 per square inch for companies to advertise their products and services with tattoos on his skin, the Boston Herald reported Thursday.
"I'm getting paid to do what I like to do best," Thompson said. "It's a one-time fee and it's a lifetime advertisement."

Thompson, a former restaurant employee, created www.tattmetto.com with his business partner, Josh Youssef. "He's thrilled with the idea because he's getting paid to do what he loves, which is talk to people and he's getting paid to get tattooed," said Yousse, a New Hampshire native who owns a computer store. "It's a win-win situation for him."

Thompson previously made headlines when he announced his plan to tattoo his head to resemble the helmets worn by the New England Patriots, his favorite football team. "Tattoos are my life," he said. "I'm the first person in the world that's got a Patriot helmet tattoo. Now I'm the first person to be a walking billboard."

I Like Print.

According to Deloitte’s 2007 State of the Media Democracy study conducted by Harrison Group, “Over 75% of consumers find online ads more intrusive than print ads. Almost two-thirds of consumers report paying more attention to print ads than online ads.”

Advertising, officially out of ideas.

Let's see, there are ads on / in garbage trucks, broadcast messages in school buses, and airline restroom doors. The mind of man has seemingly run out of ideas for running advertising messages. Alas, there is a company called DoubleTake Marketing. They are producing and selling ads placed on airport conveyor belts. Peeved passengers possessing no perks have ten or fifteen minutes to read the same message as they wait for their checked luggage to appear. (Those waiting for baggage at Memphis International Airport will, of course, have greater exposure to the advertising messages.) First installation is at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Look for the idea to spread quickly as airlines and airports will do virtually anything to create much needed revenue. On the heels of this news comes word that airlines are selling advertising space on computer-generated boarding passes, backs of tray tables, TV messages on safety announcements and more. There is no escape.

Fruitvertising.

Watermelons Tested As Ad Vehicles
By Amy Corr , Tuesday, August 19, 2008

In the grand scheme of fruitvertising, (not that I'm thrilled with the concept), I've always wondered why bananas were selected as the test fruit. Bananas are small in comparison to many fruits, and most fruits are already affixed with stickers, so I'm guessing it had something to do with bananas being a popular, accessible year-round fruit.

Watermelons seemed to be a good choice because the canvas to work with is a substantial one. Only drawback is, they're seasonal. Sundia Corporation, producers of 35% of the U.S. watermelon supply, is transforming its watermelons into billboards this month, with SC Johnson's Ziploc brand stepping up as the advertiser.

Ads will appear on watermelons in the Midwest and Southeast; the lone sticker is a combination of the Sundia logo on top and a coupon for $1.50 off the purchase of Ziploc containers on the bottom. The sticker is large, but in comparison to the size of the watermelons, it's similar in size to the stickers found on bananas. Thankfully, there's a tie-in between the brand advertising and its canvas.

Gear Seven Communications printed the ads and collaborated with Boxtop Media in New York and SC Johnson's ad agency, Ryan Partnerships in Chicago, on the project.

Source: Media Creativity from Media Post, August 19,2008.

You Figure It Out.........

Let's Have Chineese...
An unnamed zillionaire Chinese businessman won an online auction by bidding over $2 million for a lunch in New York City with investor legend Warren Buffett. Sopunds good right? Upon learning that the lunch would be at the well-known steakhouse, Smith and Wollensky, he reneged on his bid, explaining that he thought the lunch would be a buffet.

You Have Been Pre-Appropved......
While economists and pundits and Average Joe's debate the U.S. credit crunch, a six-year-old boy in Illinois, Bennett Christensen, amused himself by accurately completing an application for a credit card. He listed his date of birth as 2002 (correctly) and claimed income of zero dollars (also correct). His application was swiftly approved with a credit limit of $600. Hey - you gotta start some time.