The history of marketing is filled with some bizarre tactics and ploys, from the Oscar Meyer Weiner mobile to websites paying people to get tattoos of their logos.
Well, add another one to the list. Reminiscent of the stories one would hear in the late 90s or early 2000s about internet startups exchanging money for tattoos, there’s a new ad space available in Japan — the thighs of young women.
Unlike the “skinvertising” of the dot-com era, these advertisements aren’t permanent. Instead, girls wear temporary tattoos on their thighs, while presumably wearing shorts or a skirt, in exchange for a little bit of cash. These women earn between $13 and $130 to expose their branded skin for a minimum of eight hours, in addition to posting photos on social media.
It would seem as though this type of ploy would work best for targeting men, as we don’t really see this being too effective as a marketing to women strategy. Just when you thought you’ve heard it all, you come across something like this. It’s hard to imagine what will come next, but while it may be shocking, it shouldn’t be surprising.
FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.