Muddy
04-12-2011, 01:01 PM
ORANGE, CA—
Call it "This Old House" for the meme generation.
A startup mobile advertising firm in Orange, Calif., made waves this week when it offered to pay homeowners' mortgages in exchange for painting advertisements on their homes.
http://i54.tinypic.com/9k5ppf.jpgThe promotion hit Adzookie's website on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon, 3,000 people had responded, including 17 in Chicago, CEO Romeo Mendoza said.
"It's hit a nerve," he said. "I think it's because the idea is so polarizing — you're either really for it or really against it."
The goals are twofold, Mendoza said: to promote the fledgling business and to help homeowners in need. After a quick survey of the submissions, Mendoza estimated that 90 percent of those who had written to Adzookie had stories of need. The other 10 percent, he said, were people who wanted to have some fun.
The company plans to paint its logo and social media icons onto participating homes. The house must stay painted for at least three months and the deal may be extended up to a year, according to the site. Adzookie would pay the homeowners' mortgages for every month the ads remain up.
Mendoza says the company hopes to paint about 100 homes initially, perhaps starting in California, and expand nationally once it enlists several big-name advertisers.
It's not clear if the house-painting the company proposed would fly in Chicago, where city ordinances prohibit "off-premise" advertisements — ads that promote business or services offered elsewhere — in residential zones.
Mendoza said the company would avoid areas where the ads would run afoul of local rules.
http://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-make-home-into-a-billboard-get-a-free-mortgage-20110412,0,5430218.story?track=rss
Call it "This Old House" for the meme generation.
A startup mobile advertising firm in Orange, Calif., made waves this week when it offered to pay homeowners' mortgages in exchange for painting advertisements on their homes.
http://i54.tinypic.com/9k5ppf.jpgThe promotion hit Adzookie's website on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon, 3,000 people had responded, including 17 in Chicago, CEO Romeo Mendoza said.
"It's hit a nerve," he said. "I think it's because the idea is so polarizing — you're either really for it or really against it."
The goals are twofold, Mendoza said: to promote the fledgling business and to help homeowners in need. After a quick survey of the submissions, Mendoza estimated that 90 percent of those who had written to Adzookie had stories of need. The other 10 percent, he said, were people who wanted to have some fun.
The company plans to paint its logo and social media icons onto participating homes. The house must stay painted for at least three months and the deal may be extended up to a year, according to the site. Adzookie would pay the homeowners' mortgages for every month the ads remain up.
Mendoza says the company hopes to paint about 100 homes initially, perhaps starting in California, and expand nationally once it enlists several big-name advertisers.
It's not clear if the house-painting the company proposed would fly in Chicago, where city ordinances prohibit "off-premise" advertisements — ads that promote business or services offered elsewhere — in residential zones.
Mendoza said the company would avoid areas where the ads would run afoul of local rules.
http://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-make-home-into-a-billboard-get-a-free-mortgage-20110412,0,5430218.story?track=rss