This article appeared in the June 2005 issue of Web Host Industry Review magazine. Click here to subscribe for free.
In an online auction held in April, Web host C I Host (cihost.com) acquired the right to have its logo displayed for 30 days on the forehead of London-based filmmaker Travis Hayes, the company's second "human billboard," in advance of C I Host's European launch.
Hayes set out to study the notion of "body advertising" with a documentary film entitled "A Word From my Sponsor." He spoke to Web Host Industry Review a few days before completing his contract.
How did this project begin?
Travis Hayes: My partner on the project, Ben Sharp, and I were inspired by [the idea of the] human billboard - how everyone was trying to get a piece of the action on eBay. And as social scientists and documentary filmmakers inspired by them, we really wanted to make a film on them to capture this moment in time. It's limited in its usefulness and its ability to get the media's attention, so it was the inspiration for doing so. In order to fund the film and to fully get an honest impression of what it is and what it means to be a human billboard I wanted to go through the same process. So we put it up on eBay and we sold it for £5,100.
Did it matter to you at the time what kind of company would be advertising on your head?
TH: No. We figured it would be a tech company or an Internet company because they're more willing to look for alternative forms of marketing and there's a bigger form of openness to that in that industry. Be it that it was in London we questioned if Richard Branson would pick it up, and I would have to walk around London with Virgin across my forehead - I was slightly wary of that.
Was it important that the company be morally sound?
TH: Yeah, it was. In the auction there was a caveat that I had the right to pull the plug if there was any reason for objection based on the name of the company or the advertisement itself. We had that clause in there for that reason, because anything immoral I wasn't willing to do.
Are there any other responsibilities you have to C I Host other than wearing the tattoo in public?
TH: No, other than the weblog and the film itself. It's our project, as far as the film is concerned.
Do you feel a connection with C I Host after having worn its logo for the past 28 days?
TH: Yeah, absolutely. For 30 days people have been coming up to me and [asking], "Hey, what is C I Host?" You're literally a walking, talking spokesman for that person in that period of time, so there is that connection there. It's been part of my identity, I dare say, as well.
The interesting bit about being in London - British people are traditionally polite and much more reserved than the American audience. People just coming up to me, I mean it happens all the time. But I think less than it would with an American audience. You get the double take and everyone notices, but people are much less willing to come up and investigate why are you wearing this tattoo across your forehead. A number of people [have asked], "what does your girlfriend think about that?" I like to counter that by saying, "She was excited at first, but the amount of girls that have been looking at me since we started has gone up exponentially."
How effective is this for C I Host; what exactly is the company getting out of it?
TH: Aside from the obvious? The press. And ultimately we're submitting the film to festivals worldwide. There's that response, and there's a lasting record of it. I think for them it's huge, especially for the amount of money they paid. It's a real pittance compared to the amount of exposure they'll get from it.
Is it possible that this whole human billboard idea is just plain dumb?
TH: Is it dumb in an overall sense? Well, probably so. Is it dumb but effective? Well, it is right now. I think it's definitely effective right now. I do honestly question the longevity of it, because sooner or later there's an unwillingness to do a story on it. But ultimately, the response isn't from just the day-to-day interaction. But yeah, it is slightly dumb having to walk around with it. But it's exciting and it's fun and it cuts through the clutter of how far we'll take advertising and corporate branding. I think a lot of people think it is crossing the line.
Have you been successful in exploring the social significance of human body advertising since you first embarked on the project?
TH: I think as a social experiment it's been successful. Have we been successful in investigating and what it means, the identity of a person, if you lose a piece of that? You do lose a piece of your identity because for the past 30 days, for all intense and purposes, I have been C I Host. On the other hand, I wonder if, come Thursday - when I wrap up the actual 30 days - if now there will be a piece of me that's missing. But I think overall that the film will tell the story.
