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Bum-vertizing
Submitted by Scott Scheule on Fri, 2005-08-12 14:43.
A budding Seattle entrepreneur looking for a low-cost marketing campaign says he's found an inexpensive and highly visible tool to publicize his Web site — he calls it "bum-vertizing."
Ben Rogovy, a 22-year-old University of Washington graduate, says the homeless and panhandlers are an untapped labor force, and he's putting them to work.
"It dawned on me this could be inexpensive and effective," he said. And he believes it's a campaign that benefits both him and the homeless people he's hired to hold signs advertizing his Web site. He said he's giving panhandlers a job and getting advertising on the cheap.
[...]
Rogovy said that they are adults and they can make up their own minds. But Macri argues because the panhandlers are poor, homeless and begging, "they've lost their free choice" and have no choice but to agree to Rogovy's request."It really reinforces stigmas about people who are homeless — that they're not humans, that they're just signposts," Macri said.
I love it, even if it's got Macri bummed.
Dr. Wilde, this gives me an idea. We've been looking for ways to expand our readership, after all.
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It seems that Macri is the
It seems that Macri is the one who has dehumanized the homeless. He has determined that the most human of traits, free will, is some how lacking in the homeless, and that they have no control or responsibility for their actions.
Seems like a poor use of
Seems like a poor use of advertising dollars to me, I'm not too inclined to be going to websites that are advertised by *homeless bums* trying to hustle me for change and smokes.
Now perhaps a better idea is to hire the bums to "advertise" for your *competitors*. Feed 'em all some nice garlic sandwiches, stuff a load of handbills into their mitts, and promise them a buck for each "new customer" or whatever.
I think you have enough bums
I think you have enough bums already.
I wasn't counting
I wasn't counting commenters.
They've been paying bums to
They've been paying bums to hold signs in Tucson for years. Mostly for liquidation sales and auctions.
Of course, we have a hell of a lot of bums here. Especially in the winter.
I saw a homeless man the
I saw a homeless man the other day walking around in a t-shirt supporting the DC smoking ban. I wondered at the time whether this was some sort of strategy by SmokefreeDC to create walking billboards for their point of view. The t-shirt idea seems superior to the sign carrying, since I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have to pay most homeless to accept free clothes.
Fantastic point, Amy. We
Fantastic point, Amy.
We need Catallarchy shirts.
Bright ones.
They’ve been paying bums
They’ve been paying bums to hold signs in Tucson for years. Mostly for liquidation sales and auctions.
Ditto for Austin. There is one high-traffic intersection in particular that almost always has furniture liquidation sale signs in the hands of someone. Can't tell if they're homeless or destitute or not, but one does wonder. Often you'll see them slumped in a chair with the sign propped up so they can relax or sleep while "on the job."
That Macri guy ought to ask the homeless if they thing that had absolutely NO CHOICE in the matter. Whadda jackass.
Trailer Trash, Bums, and
The Casey Bartholomew Show featured on WSCC-FM in Charleston, SC is at it again. It is more often than not that Casey Bartholomew turns my stomach with his rants and name calling. I am becoming less of a fan of his by the day. It was not enough to ...