Tattoo Marketing is a Thing [Video]

As a business owner, you’re proud of your company’s logo because of everything it represents. Do you love your logo enough to get it tattooed on your body? What about your staff? Would they be willing to make such a permanent commitment to their job? Yes, tattoo marketing is a real thing. What can your business learn from this bold marketing trend?

Wait, People are Actually Doing This?
If you don’t believe that tattoo marketing is real, then ask one of the seventy employees of Rapid Realty to roll up their sleeves. This New York-based realty company offers their salesmen and saleswomen a hard-to-pass-up incentive in order to get them to ink the company logo on their body--a fifteen percent lifetime pay increase and the title of “brand ambassador.”

As you can see, by adding a personal touch to the logo, some of these “brand ambassadors” are able to make their tattoo look almost cool (almost).

Tattoos: A Permanent Marketing Solution...
From a marketing perspective, these are advertising dollars well spent. A tattoo is as permanent as it gets. Keep in mind that one of the main goals of a marketing campaign is to have it engage your audience, and as anybody with ink will tell you, a tattoo is one of the best conversation starters there is. “So, what’s your tattoo mean?” A question like this asked to a Rapid Realty “brand ambassador” is sure to lead to an engaging conversation about real estate that could lead to a sale.

In addition to making for a great marketing technique, tattoos will let you know which of your staff are the most committed to their job--or the most desperate for a pay raise. Granted, getting a tattoo of one’s place of employment is the ultimate example of selling out, but 1) It will make a worker think twice about leaving (employee retention), and 2) When it comes time to leave the company, the money accrued over the years for getting the tattoo should more-than cover the cost of getting it removed.

...Or, a Sign of Desperation?
In today’s competitive environment, it’s becoming more difficult to have your message break through the noise of competing messages. Therefore, outside-the-box ideas like tattoo marketing actually make sense, on some level. In fact, even political campaigns are becoming desperate enough to pay to get their candidate’s logo tattooed on supporters’ bodies. Take for example this face tattoo of the 2012 Romney/Ryan US presidential campaign logo on Eric Hartsburg’s face. He essentially turned his face into a billboard and made himself a cool $5,000. What do you think, is it worth it?

What are your thoughts? Would you consider getting your company’s logo inked on your body? Do you think your team would be willing to become a tattooed brand ambassador for your business or does the thought horrify you? Share your thoughts in the comments.