I was thinking of giving a few homeless people in multi million large city some tshirts and maybe a cardboard beggars-boards with my website name on it. It'd be for free, plus I'd pay them a couple of bucks if they wear it and use the board. It seems like a really low cost and low maintenance way of advertising and the typical homeless person walks great distances in the city potentially reaching thousands of customers. Do you think this type of advertising has any potential?
Dude, that's a really good idea - much akin to my own. I'm going to try that sometime. How much are you thinking of paying?
You should do this and then call your local news stations and tell them that you've been spotting homeless people wearing t shirts for such and such. It's a crazy idea which may catch fire virally and get you more free publicity.
Your concept is fundamentally flawed. If you are hiring them to carry your sign you are legally obligated to pay them minimum wage unless you want to have gonernment troubles. Now, given you have to pay minimum wage why would you hire a homeless person to carry your sign that may be perceived as exploitative of their misfortune and reflect poorly of your website?
He is not hiring employees he is giving them a shirt, there homeless they might want a free shirt then since they are looking for money he is just spotting them a few bucks, no biggie..
But I never hired them as workers, there's no legal binding via any documentation. I'm just paying them a sum of cash to carry out of a favor for me, it's their choice whether they accept the offer or not much like paying your neighbors kid to mow the lawn for you. While it may be perceived a exploitative, so were the bum fight videos but it didn't stop them from selling millions. Controversy sells and I'm going purely for the numbers not public opinion. Once the buzz dies down what will make the difference between whether my site is successful or stagnates is the quality of the content I write. This gimmick would only serve to get the name out there and pull potential visitors to my site (I'm not selling a product nor service). Some may be turned off but they would be the minority of my target audience.
This is so wrong on so many levels, haha. But as long as you're not advertising housing options, cant be too bad. Well, then again, who checks out what the homeless is wearing, and to then check out the text? what?
If you pay someone minimum wage, even if said person is homeless, why would anyone consider it is as exploitation?
They are not employees if they have freedom to travel where they want. An employer generally supplies the location, tools, job assignments, etc. I think homeless people could be considered contractors since they can drink beer/wine when they want, pass out at their own will, etc. Just in case, have them complete the paperwork for a 1099. lol Cut them off before they make $600, and you don't have to send them one. Have a PayPal donate button on your site should it hit the news. This way viewers can donate money. Then pass some of that money onto the homeless, minus your admin costs.
If you trade them the shirt for a clean one every day it might be worth it. Make sure you place something about "doing your part" on the shirt itself. If there's one thing that stands out, it's a homeless person with a clean shirt.
I've heard of people paying homeless to carry signs. I'm not sure if the tshirt idea has been used before. You'll have to watch out with the signs to make sure they actually do it, but the tshirts are brilliant. What homeless person is going to turn down a clean shirt to wear? If you don't want to take the flak over exploiting the homeless it wouldn't be to hard to play it off like you're helping them. The best part of giving away tshirts is that you can reasonable write off the cost as a donation to charity.
How many people actually LOOK at the homeless people they see in the streets? They hurry past, maybe drop a coin and try not to catch their eye. You think people are going to stop, read the t-shirt, remember the name, and think - "hmm, that must be a reliable go-ahead sort of company, if that poor sap who's down on his luck is prepared to support them..."
I heard of this being done in Detroit with a homeless shelter and the revenue was used to purchase supplies for the shelter. Just my two cents but if your are looking to hire someone to wear a t-shirt or carry a sign with your website info a HOT looking chick would be more effective then a homeless person.
make sure you also give them little cards or tickets with your URL on it as some people may find it hard to remember the URL of your site.
It may backfire. Someone may feel that you are exploiting them. The other consideration-- unfortunately most people try to avoid homeless people. I think cleanliness is the question. Q...