An Australian firm, Passout Marketing, says it’s already stamping about 5 million hands a year there for clients including Boost Juice and IKEA. In the United States, Orange County start-up Handvertising USA is building a network of venues that it sells to advertisers. including a real-estate company, a radio station and an alcohol brand. Handvertising charges advertisers about 50 cents a hand, and pays a dime of that to the venue.
Secret shoppers spot-check the venues to make sure the stamps are being used. Owner Mike Brown is adding sales reps to promote the idea to marketers and others to sell to the clubs. He says he wants to build a nationwide big-city club network and sell the stamping rights to brand-name advertisers that would include added promotions, like drink discounts for folks sporting the right stamp. (Clubs could use multiple stamps during an evening, with one brand-name stamp being the discount winner.) Taxi companies could do a “don’t drink and drive” promotion with their phone numbers on the stamp.
Marketing-research Web site springwise.com calls hand-stamping an excellent side business for young ad-agency employees—initial costs are minimal and the client networking can be fun. It gives new meaning to the concept of glad-handing.
