Make Home into a Billboard, Get a Free Mortgage!

[Muddy]

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.
The 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-i...tory?track=rss

[FBD]

I'd love to put an ad on the front of my condo That old lady a few doors up would have a coronary!

[RBP]

I would consider a car wrap deal, where they pay you like $200 a week to allow them to wrap your car with advertising.

Hadn't considered a house before, but times is tough!

[Muddy]

I'd love to put an ad on the front of my condo That old lady a few doors up would have a coronary!

Im not sure they want to advertise in your section of town..

[Deepsepia]

Advertising supported concepts are showing up in lots of places, today Amazon announced a Kindle with reduced prices, that has ads. They think they'll sell a lot of them. . . It's fantastic for economists, because it shows you just what time is worth to people.

But my favorite advertising supported concept of them all is here:
http://www.theonion.com/video/new-go...ads-dir,17470/

[Muddy]

I see cars with this shit all over them a couple times a week... I guess in desperate times I'd drive one... But normally Its not for me..

[RBP]

Im not sure they want to advertise in your section of town..

Poor people need love too!

[Softdreamer]

On this logic, shouldn't sports companies be paying us for walking round wearing their products?

Nike tracksuit anyone?

[Muddy]

Poor people need love too!

Obamas givin' em plenty.. *rimshot*

[Acid Trip]

I thought I'd share this interesting story I stumbled upon. Who's interested?

For a Free Mortgage, House Becomes a Billboard
By Julianne Pepitone, CNNMoney.com
Apr 12, 2011

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/fo...billboard.html

Startup advertising firm Adzookie has latched on to a high-profile way to publicize itself: by turning homes into massive billboards.

In exchange, Adzookie says it will pay the house owner's mortgage every month for as long as the home stays painted.

Adzookie launched the offer on its website recently--and by late afternoon, the company had already received more than 1,000 applications, according to Adzookie CEO Romeo Mendoza. One even came from a church.

"It really blew my mind," Mendoza said. "I knew the economy was tough, but it's sad to see how many homeowners are really struggling."

Adzookie intends to paint its logo and social media icons onto participating homes. Houses must remain painted for at least three months, and the agreement may be extended up to one year.

Painting is expected to begin in a few weeks. The above photo, which is included on the program's site, is a digital mockup. (No actual homes have yet been painted.)

Mendoza hopes buzz about the program -- plus, of course, the house-sized ads -- will publicize the fledging Adzookie. Mendoza started the Anaheim, Calif., company 16 months ago and has been running it on his own funds.

Adzookie is mobile ad network that places local businesses' ads for free if they, in exchange, allow ads to be placed on their own mobile sites. Alternatively, ads can be purchased for about $1 a day.

The company currently employs just eight people, but Mendoza said he is looking to raise venture capital and expand.

The home billboard scheme could raise the company's profile -- but don't expect too many homes to score the subsidized deal. Mendoza's budget for the entire program is $100,000, and he expects to spend about $8,000 per house on the painting alone.

At the end of the agreement, Adzookie will paint the house back to its original colors. Leases and rentals aren't allowed, nor are homes in cities with bylaws that would prohibit the bright painting.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

*signs up*

[Hal-9000]

I don't own a house and probably never will....I'd put advertising on my bare ass if it meant a reduced mortgage