dispatches from the new world of work

Now That's Using Your Head ...

How much is your head, specifically your forehead, worth? For one college student, who offered his forehead as a billboard-for-hire, a $30,000 fee, garnered from an eBay auction for the space, will provide funding for college and other things. Auctioning his "wares"—a removable tattoo—on eBay paid off for him. For those of us who wonder why we didn't think of that first and who may be researching how deep the market is on this one, consider this perspective—play out of your head to earn money with your head, even your forehead.

How could you leverage your head to get into the game and generate profitable returns?

Pam Brill posted this on 01/14/05.

Comments

Hey, Pam, it's a blog, right: where's the links?

Posted by Tom Guarriello at January 15, 2005 12:30 AM

http://www.advertiseonmyface.com/

Posted by Jason Ewart at January 15, 2005 1:38 AM

Dr. Brill?...wrote about this guy?
http://www.humanadspace.com/
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=317&item=5947720145&rd=1

Please confirm it's not a scam. Look at the profiles of the bidders...
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=5947720145

I haven't seen this guy's forehead lately.
http://web.archive.org/web/20020809153414/http://www.sponsormymelon.com/press_release.htm
http://www.i-dineout.com/head1.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2001/08/13/editorial1.html?t=printable

Posted by Fallacious Frons at January 15, 2005 3:27 AM

This whole idea of tattooing one's head for financial gain is, in my opinion, not really using one's head. It's not W-O-W!--it's S-T-U-P-I-D! The 30Gs is a decent sum of money and the publicity surrounding it is, I assume, worthwhile for both involved parties. So, this guy receives his 15sec of fame--maybe twice (one for the announcement, another time when he shows off the tattoo). Steve Yastrow could probably blog well on that aspect of the whole deal.

Nevertheless, this is not by any means "using your head to get in the game." Imagine the mess that ensues by potentially having this guy (nice a guy as I'm sure he is) in your workplace, with some audacious logo placed across his forehead. It's a terrific talking point, but how seriously could you deal with a person who has lord-knows-what tattooed across his melon? Perhaps some of us are not ready (or are without enough candor) for that.

P.S. As I post, this story is being reported on this morning's ABCNews. The gentleman's quote: "This isn't an idea that just popped into my head. Well, I guess it did kinda pop into my head." The following story was about a person who reached in the medicine cabinet for eye drops, but managed to pull superglue instead (with obvious results)...

Posted by Lee H. Igel at January 15, 2005 10:03 AM

Great links--thank you! $30,100 to get ahead--that's the winning bid on ebay for the lease for real estate on Average Joe's forehead. And while the real estate is listed in Omaha, Nebraska, Joe made it global with coverage of his innovative approach on major networks, Fox News, and the BBC! For a mere $1,000 plus change a day, the mystery lease holder is slated for global coverage--not a bad deal. Stay tuned for the breaking news on whose logo gets a head.

Posted by Pam Brill at January 15, 2005 10:14 AM

This is a good Catch 22, of sorts. You have to praise this guy for being innovative to the point that he landed himself all over the news. But, the cost is a very apparent tattoo. In the end, it's fun stuff...

Posted by Lee H. Igel at January 15, 2005 10:36 AM

Pity the brand that gets endorsed ..just getting reduced to a marketing gimmick

Tattoos are part of human culture from the south american indians, to the esikmos and right across into africa, mongolia and far east asis into the polynesian islands...these markings (tattoos) are basically symbloic by nature to mark regalia on a person. I don't think they did this for money or personal fame. In today's world if this is called 'innovations', I am failing to see the paradigm..secondly 'using the head' ?? that's a proposition that does not settle well.. A person who reduces himself/herself to such a tactic, certainly has bigger woes to handle. think of how much the society has degressed to support such level of thought processes.. needless to mention the marketers who feel this is great brand promotion will come out bad. Mankind is reducing itself to just about any means to foster $$$ value .. that's pathetic .... go figure..why this person is willing to do this ?? it's because the social system does not permit him to earn his money or provide that quality eduction that is required... rather than identifying the root cause, most people are willing to bid, and blog this and promote such behavourial traits !!

Posted by /pd at January 15, 2005 4:28 PM

Alas, this head of the class may have been scammed or may have scammed the media--or both. Unable to reach the top bidder, Average Joe has relisted his skull (perhaps better than selling one's soul though both may be the result of root causes other than the follicles sprouting hair near his proposed billboard site). Only approved bidders may join in--right now the price is just above $100 at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5950338541

Posted by Pam Brill at January 15, 2005 5:11 PM

thank you Dr.Pam for updating us on this enlightening post !!

Posted by /pd at January 15, 2005 9:50 PM

One for eBay's history books, I suppose. In addition to the man wearing his ex-bride's dress and the old cheese sandwich that bore a resemblance to the Virgin Mary; this trick will be the talk at water coolers.

My thought: the company who would pay to advertise on some guy's forehead better be a highly creative service themselves. Quirky. They better be quirky. I can't see Prudential or Fidelity going for such a stunt.

I've thought about creative ways to advertise but they usually involve chocolate. ;-)

Posted by Mary Rose Maguire at January 16, 2005 9:14 AM

For $30,000.00? Makes one admire the deal that Harley Davidson has with their millions and millions of tattoos that mark their product line.

Posted by RTodd at January 16, 2005 12:13 PM

This boy is a metaphor for what is wrong with marketing. It's not the message. Marketing is a promise, an unconditional acceptable of your desires, your true desires, not the ones your put on to make yourself look good for others. Marketing is the advocate to improve your way of life, the warrior that knows the difference between it [the brand identity] and you the consumer, and the power of connecting and separating the two throughout the day in different contextualized settings. Importantly, marketing demonstrates what is possible and trusts that by giving the consumer the information you will choose with is right.

Marketing is real. People want to feel real/whole. Marketing is about relationships. We all live in a world of relationships. We all need to start using our emotional intellience to manage marketing...not our heads like this goof-a-la.

Posted by Wendy at January 17, 2005 1:39 AM

Thank you, Wendy! While marketing with heart can be playful, it is authentic and engages hearts and minds just as you say so well. Playing with one's head, or with others' heads for that matter, is not about connecting; and the message, whether it is posted on a forehead or billboard certainly comes through loud and clear.
Thank you for bringing it back to what is real--relationships and authenticity do, in the end, rule!

Posted by Pam Brill at January 17, 2005 2:29 AM

Nowadays, most brands treat us as walking advertising hoardings by plastering their logo's on shirts, bags etc - and we actually pay to advertise their stuff, usually under the impression that it makes us look or feel trendy. What I like about this prank (which surely is what it is) is that the guy neatly reverses this predicament by saying, "If you're gonna treat me like an advertising hoarding, pay me like one." What I don't like is that it doesn't address the issue of whether the brand slapped on this guy's forehead is really connecting with it's target audience. Maybe that's something else the guy is sending up? Maybe we're going to find out this is really someone's marketing thesis or it's a "research" stunt designed by one of the big agencies...?

Posted by Mark JF at January 17, 2005 8:59 AM

I find these comments interesting. I actually know this young man and this went of course far past his and everyone's expectations. All of you marketing gurus who are criticizing this are really making fools of yourselves simply because this is not a young man trying to start a new method of advertising, but simply a young man who took an old idea - put a new twist on it (auctioning it on eBay), and hoped to get some traffic through a little media attention. This is really just a one time thing, if you look on eBay, very few of the copycat auctions are getting any bids and most are closing under $20 if they even sell. It's not about "a hot new advertising method". It's simply that it's different enough that he was able to get it on our local news and it spread like wild fire from there. This is a pristine example of how to get millions of dollars in free advertising using the media - a lucky, one shot thing. The winner of the auction has the opportunity to share that attention and that's the only reason it went as high as it did. After this week, it will probably never be seen again on TV, on the web, or in the newspapers. Maybe in 5 years or so after everyone has forgotten, someone will once again play the media like a violin with the same or similar concept. So settle down, marketing gurus, getting worked up over this simply illustrates your own insecurities. Celebrate the one week of wealth and glory for this bright young man and then go about your business per usual. The correct URL for his web site by the way is http://www.humanadspace.com since other copycat sites have been posted previously. You will see that he's also made several thousand in posting advertising on his site for this week of media stardom.

Posted by John G at January 17, 2005 1:44 PM