February 28, 2006 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Apparently there is still no shortage of regular folks leading the sort of lives in which it is acceptable to have the logos of Web hosting companies prominently inscribed on their heads.
Taking a page directly from the marketing manual of C I Host (cihost.com), which has already experimented with product placements on both the fronts and backs of the heads of walking, talking human beings, Web hosting provider Globat (globat.com) announced this week that 25-year-old Maine man Mark Greenlaw has agreed to become a "human billboard" for the company.
Greenlaw, a father of three, put the space on the back of his neck up for auction on eBay in January, an outlandish effort that drew media attention and resulted in several interviews.
While Globat did not disclose the payment agreed to, Greenlaw's eBay auction ended January 25, with a high bid of $5,299. The final bid was well short of the original reserve price of $10,000 set for the auction. But it was reported that the reserve had been lowered to $5,300.
"At Globat.com, we love inventive ideas like Mark's," said Globat president and CEO Ben R. Neumann, in a press release. "Our company helps people promote, develop, and host business ideas 24 hours a day, and we think Mark gives us a great way to demonstrate our love of fresh ideas. We also think this represents the ultimate in company loyalty!"
Globat says the tattoo plan is part of a "wave of unique sponsorships and events" planned under the banner of the company's "Defying Gravity" project (defyinggravity.com).
As the Defying Gravity project is just getting started, its greater purpose may not yet be clear, but so far it definitely appears to involve bizarre and unconnected eBay purchases.
The idea is likely inspired by the publicity generated by some outrageous eBay purchases made by online casino Golden Palace, which acquired, among other things, a perogi apparently bearing the image of Jesus, a kidney stone passed by actor William Shatner and a car formerly belonging to Michael Jackson. The casino has also sponsored many tattoo advertisements and has been known to sponsor streakers at major sporting events.
On Monday, the company announced that it had purchased a 131-year-old housefly in a separate eBay auction. "The fly was caught in St. Joseph, Missouri," says the company's announcement, "when it landed in a book that was slammed shut by a sleeping frontiersman."
In the press release, Neumann provides some explanation for the company's motives in acquiring the fly.
"Some people might wonder why anyone would want a 131-year-old fly," he says. "But how many people can claim to have a fly that's over 100 years old? We can, and, who knows, perhaps it will become an important part of natural science in years to come."
In a promotion with a more explicitly rewarding outcome, Globat announced last week that it had sponsored the MBA term paper of a student, Jesse Fernandez, who then focused the project on the company.
Fernandez said he sought sponsorship for the paper in an effort to help finance his education. According to Globat, the paper received an A+ grade.
It remains to be seen the bizarre lengths to which the Defying Gravity project, only a few weeks old, will take Globat. Currently, the Web site also mentions a hair cut and a birth to be sponsored by the company.
