Gina Murray on the Pros:
Corporations pay thousands of dollars to advertise on billboards, sometimes achieving success through it, sometimes receiving less than successful results. Billboards, even though they are usually large and visible, do not always attract attention. People will look past billboards or just not care even if it’s something they are interested in. Ads are carefully placed in movies or television shows to brainwash the audience into buying products. Many people will not buy these products strictly because of that reason. So when the advertising companies needed creative new ways to present their logos, they looked no further than the human body.
Andrew Fischer started the whole trend of advertising on foreheads when he auctioned off his forehead on EBAY for over $30,000 to Snore Stop. Since Fischer, companies have started up specializing in forehead advertising.
Cunning Stunts is an agency based originally out of London that has targeted students to advertise companies’ logos on their foreheads. So students are making money for acting like a walking billboard. Cunning Stunts has branched out to NYU in addition to universities in London. Cunning Stunts pays students around $170 dollars per week for their advertising. Cunning Stunts calls this ForeheADsTM. FHM Magazine and CNX digital TV station are two companies that participate in having students wear their logos.
I think this form of advertising is creative and original and I would participate in it. I wouldn’t mind having a logo advertised on my forehead if I got an extra $170 dollars per week. I know many students at Skyline are full time students, work part time or full time, barely have enough time in the day to finish everything they need to, and barely have enough money to stay afloat. A second job would help me but I don’t have nearly enough time for another job. So why not get paid for doing practically nothing?
Cunning Stunts require all their participants to walk around outside for a minimum of three hours per day and record it for evidence.
Of course, writing on your forehead is bound to get you a few bizarre stares when you’re walking around. This would not bother me. Getting paid over a hundred dollars a week for walking around, in my opinion, outweighs the strange looks and many questions I would inevitably have to answer. Advertisements on foreheads also would probably help out the company more. While people look past that huge billboard that’s been there for years, they will stop to stare at your forehead. Snore Stop reported that their sales went up 50% after advertising on Fischer’s forehead.
The logos aren’t even permanently tattooed on foreheads. They are put on with vegetable dye. The dye will stay on enough to be visible but will fade eventually.
Of course advertising on foreheads are bound to bring up other weird random spots for advertisements, pregnant bellies and legs already. Our society revolves around making money and doing anything to make a dollar. If the advertising companies are cashing in on us who buy their products, why not cash in on some of their profits?
So why not tattoo your forehead? Make some much-needed extra money with a non-permanent company logo on your forehead. Take back some of your money from those greedy advertising companies.
Carina Woudenberg on the Cons:
Some people will do anything for money.
Thirty year old Kari Smith put her forehead up as advertising space on eBay last summer in an effort to raise money to put her son through private school. The winning bidder, GoldenPalace.com, a gambling site, offered Smith’s asking price of $10,000.
My question is why would any one want to do this? Sure the money might be a big incentive. But to have an ad permanently on your forehead? And for a gambling site? What kind of reaction is Smith’s son going to get when he goes to his new school?
First of all I don’t understand why anyone would want to get a permanent tattoo in the first place. Will you still want the mark on your body when you’re eighty years old?
Ad’s show up in the weirdest places public restrooms, video games, shopping carts… you name it. Isn’t America sick of advertising? If you go ahead and get an advertisement painted on your forehead, it’s like you become the personal property of that company; how could you call yourself a dignified person with a huge gambling website slapped across your forehead? Even if the tattoo was temporary the whole concept still zaps away the person’s dignity. It’s a good way to make honest money but I think there can still be better ways.
As far as advertising goes I think it’s better to stick to the old conventional ways of advertising… they are both tried and true.