Yeah, I did that too. But I liked the word so much, I stuck with it
Even after it said "beggars", I pictured bums mooning traffic.
What exactly are you supposed to promote this way? I fail to see how an advertisement on a beggar will encourage anyone to buy anything. Isn't this the polar opposite of paying a scantily-clad swedish bikini model to be in your commercials?
it's branding: name recognitionbuilt up by repetition.... i like the idea of someone's ass a lot better...
and advertising on said ass, too...
Ben Rogovy appeared on The Daily Show last night to be mocked for this scheme of his. Also discussed at MetaFilter recently.
Rogovy claims that the business he's advertising is clearly benefiting from the publicity.
I'm guessing that the controversy - caused as much by Rogovy's borderline-offensive "bumvertising" coinage and his general "yes, I am a huge a materialist dick" posturing as by the substance of the scheme - will function as valuable but free publicity for his business. Maybe that was the real plan all along.
I found the scheme (and Rogovy personally) repugnant at first blush, but on further reflection, I can't make a strong argument against it. Some poor people get a chance to earn a little money for basically zero effort, and Rogovy gets some cheap publicity.
So I vote "[callous evil] genius marketing ploy."
I saw the segment on it too. I thought they should be paid more (this guy for example, with his colorful eye-catching sign, should probably be charging more). One woman's verbose sign made me wonder how many people would actually make it to the advertised URL at the bottom during a typical stoplight, if they weren't trying to avert their eyes, that is. I think she was also trying to get the young guy to change the font on his signs.
Actually, that particular painted sign seems like a good ad for his potentially marketable skills (assuming he made it).
I'm guessing the 'bums' themselves don't feel exploited, so I don't have a problem with it.
L2D: Yeah, there's some unsavoriness to the guy running this scheme, and also to the internet gambling sites being advertised, which may make the whole concept look ugly. If Apple was paying homeless people to wear their logo, it would be seen as a magnanimous gesture, and über-cool.
EAT AT JOE'S
That's the easiest $5 I ever made.
to be honest, i don't see how this differs from someone being paid to walk/stand around with a sandwich board promoting something in a city center.
if i used the image of the former princess of wales in publicity photographs, would they be divertisements?
I can't believe Joe's would stoop to such a level. Well, I'm never eating there again.
eww, look at that bum. He scares me. Why doesn't he get a job? Let's go back to the safety of our house.
Zanshin, NO! The signs are coming from inside the-
Hi, I lost all my money, my house and my wife because I played at http://www.play-poker-on-line.com
Can you spare some change?
You can bet wives there???
I taped this and showed it to my class today. Many of them had no problem with it. I do however, not in theory, but in practice. The guy is a prick. Plain and simple. He makes a website called "pokerfacebook.com" of course poker is enourmously popular and among my undergrad students facebook.com is really popular too, so this jerk makes a website combining both. The website doesn't even offer gambling. It is just a site for people to meet each other. He is profiting off of the popularity of poekr and facebook.com and running a website that has minimal upkeep and probalby makes money off of the google ads on the site.
Then he decides to only pay the people $4 a day. He's a greedy little bastard and I'm sure he's laughing at all the publicity hes getting.
At first glance, I thought this was about the logos on the seats of shorts and sweats that people wear. Y' know like "Abercrombie's Bitch". Stuff like that.
But really this type of thing is nothing new around Seattle. I frequently see loonies and vagrants with sandwich boards advertising condos, sub shops, etc... It seems this entrepreneur might have been a clever enough prick to issue a press release and stir up some controversy. Nearly free advertising.
In answer to the question in the FPP: callous exploitation. Anyone who can't see that . . . well, they're either brainwashed or hopeless.
Sucks, plain and simple.
Why doesn't he do the right thing and at least pay them min wage for an eight hour day?
Getting rich on the backs of the poor. Ain't that the shitz.
What is the minimum wage for doing exactly what they were doing anyway, and expending zero labour?
It's not like he's making them work for it. For the beggars it really is free money.
Honestly, can anyone explain to me just who is losing in this arrangement? Who is hurt by it?
*Pins lightweight sign on rocket88's back - "Impotence Problems? Call 555-GETHARD"*
It is 4 dollars. Many homeless people make more than that in an hour. Hell, there are probably kids in sweatshops who make more than that a day. Sure it is their choice, but I'm worth a lot more than 4 dollars to whore myself out. (and no my shirt does not have a logo on it!)
quid, you owe me 4 dollars.
If this really succeeds, then I have hope anew for my Corpsevertising scheme.
rocket88, I'll have you money soon.
*points at tattoo on forehead, "GOT HERPES? CALL 555-LOVEDOC"
What is the minimum wage for doing exactly what they were doing anyway, and expending zero labour?Same as the minimum wage for every other job, surprisingly enough.
Another stupid kid hoping to make easy money on the internets creates another shitty website, and when the money doesn't immediately start rolling in (shocker), turns to some shitty marketting scheme to inflate site traffic. This guy and snark9 should meet up and suck each other off for a job well done.
Quid and rocket, you joke with your 1-800 numbers, but back in the 80s when I was a Wall Street dude in NYC I used to get on the subway all bleary eyed in the morning and be faced with this ad: ANAL WARTS? TRY LASERS!!
Always delayed breakfast, once I got to the office, by at least a half hour.
1- Ask fellow passenger to borrow a pen.
2- Look up at ad and write the number on your hand.
3- Give pen back.
4- Scratch ass.
5- Guage reaction.
C'mon, all marketing is exploitation on some level. And it's not genius, it's opportunistic.
"By the way if anyone here is in advertising or marketing... kill yourself. No, no, no, it's just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day, they'll take root - I don't know. You try, you do what you can. Kill yourself. Seriously though, if you are, do it. Aaah, no really, there's no rationalisation for what you do and you are Satan's little helpers, Okay - kill yourself - seriously. You are the ruiner of all things good, seriously. No, this is not a joke; you're going, "there's going to be a joke coming." There's no fucking joke coming. You are Satan's spawn filling the world with bile and garbage. You are fucked and you are fucking us. Kill yourself. It's the only way to save your fucking soul, kill yourself. Planting seeds.
"I know all the marketing people are going, "he's doing a joke... there's no joke here whatsoever. Suck a tail-pipe, fucking hang yourself, borrow a gun from a friend - I don't care how you do it. Rid the world of your evil fucking machinations. I know what all the marketing people are thinking right now too, "Oh, you know what Bill's doing, he's going for that anti-marketing dollar. That's a good market, he's very smart." Oh man, I am not doing that. You fucking evil scumbags! "Ooh, you know what Bill's doing now, he's going for the righteous indignation dollar. That's a big dollar. A lot of people are feeling that indignation. We've done research - huge market. He's doing a good thing." Godammit, I'm not doing that, you scum-bags!
"Quit putting a godamm dollar sign on every fucking thing on this planet!
"Ooh, the anger dollar. Huge. Huge in times of recession. Giant market, Bill's very bright to do that." God, I'm just caught in a fucking web! "Ooh the trapped dollar, big dollar, huge dollar. Good market - look at our research. We see that many people feel trapped. If we play to that and then separate them into the trapped dollar..." How do you live like that? And I bet you sleep like fucking babies at night, don't you?" - Bill Hicks
Ever hear Bill Hicks' bit about Jay Leno doing Doritos commercials? Tears the late-nite host a new you-know-what.
Ear? Nostril?
South.
Chin (obvious)
Stupid question, probably, but what with all the press this guy is getting (which, let's be honest is probably what he's after more than the actual advertising on bums), why hasn't the Department of Labor come crashing down on him?
Can you spare some change?