On the forefront of the growing trend of "guerrilla marketing," Travis Hayes, a University of Utah graduate now studying at the London School of Economics, in February put his forehead on eBay's online auction block. Hayes pledged to sport the highest-bidder's logo above his eyebrows for a month while making a daily circuit of London's busiest districts.
The Taylorsville High School graduate, who also will videotape passersby's reaction to his emblazoned head, plans to use winning bidder C I Host's $9,300 to make a documentary film about emerging "human billboard" advertising.
"CI Host's CEO is only 28 years old and they've done a number of guerrilla advertising things already," says Hayes, who will refresh the temporary tattoo on his pate daily. "It's a good fit because they are big supporters of independent film as well."
Based in Bedford, Texas, C I Host has had several forays into guerrilla marketing, which exploits outrageous stunts or online advertisements to cheaply generate media buzz.
C I Host nearly doubles the impact of its conventional advertising budget (about $1.2 million annually) with stunts that include putting its logo on the seat of Evander Holyfield's boxing shorts, CEO Christopher Faulkner says.
The day after the boxer's backside billboard appeared, there was a 4,000 percent increase in traffic on the company's Web site.
"We're a little company, that has to stand out in a very crowded space. Guerrilla marketing like breathing billboards allows us to do that," Faulkner says. "Publicly held companies don't do ads on people's heads. They just aren't going to get it approved."
Although the growth of the Internet has vastly increased the impact and reach of such campaigns, they still depend on provoking mainstream media (such as The Salt Lake Tribune) to treat the stunts as news events.
"The the biggest reason for going guerrilla is for the press and publicity," Faulkner says. "If no one writes about it, it doesn't do anything for you."
As Faulkner's media ambushes go, Hayes is getting off easy.
Two years ago , C I Host paid a Chicago man $8,000 to undergo four hours of needle work to tattoo the company's logo on the back of his head - permanently. A five-year contract requires Jim Nelson to keep the tattoo visible at all times and to make trips internationally to promote C I Host. "Just the fact that he got the tattoo got us covered by newspapers around the country," Faulkner says. "We made the National Enquirer."
C I Host also has sponsored the Wi-Fi Guy (http://www.wifi-guy.com), who unveiled a traveling Web log at Park City's 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Wi-Fi Guy kept his noggin pristine, but has driven a bright-orange C I Host SUV 19,000 miles to festivals around the country, writing about events on his C I Host-sponsored blog.
Paul Kirwin, owner of Park City-based marketing firm 3point5, who has experimented with guerrilla marketing himself, is skeptical that human billboards will last.
"It will work in the short run. People will laugh and they'll remember it," says Kirwin. "In guerrilla marketing, you've got to draw attention to yourself and break out of the clutter. But eventually it is going to run smack into consumers simply being overloaded with advertising messages."
Well-done guerrilla marketing can be effective, says Love Communications' Tom Love. But the effectiveness of human billboards soon will wane.
"That kind of stuff is a one-time punch line," Love says. "Then there's the distaste factor. Is there no low?- There isn't yet."
Still, filmmaker Hayes' goals dovetail with those of C I Host, which will open a London data center in conjunction with his campaign. The firm already supports independent filmmakers, providing a free year of Web site hosting to any low-budget film accepted by a top film festival, including Utah's Sundance.
Faulkner figures C I Host will put about $20,000 into marketing Hayes' film-beyond the winning bid. He plans to enter the film in festivals. An entire movie about an ad-the ultimate product placement.
"I want to see the reaction to the logo on his head," Faulkner says. "Some people will think it's disgusting to use the human body this way. Some will think it's great. The documentary will make this a part of history."
glenwarchol@sltrib.com
