Selling the faces of kids

Looks like an idea got in the hands of the media. I'm digging it.

I think high school revenue programs need all the press we can get. We've tried for months and nobody wanted a story on our success selling Web ads. But, one reporter gets his hands on a 2010 advertising guidebook (available piece meal here) and suddenly we're in the New York Post?

The eye black promotion isn't even online for people to see because we want to be able to explain it carefully when we are in front of a potential sponsor.

Here's the skinny: Nobody is going to put ads on the faces of kids. The whole idea of having a company sponsor eye black was to have something that raised eyebrows. The package only states that the eye black pay for the "promotional distribution and displays available to be displayed in locker rooms." Meaning if a student-athlete needs eye black and he/she likes the idea of supporting the sponsor that would be supporting his/her school, they have the option of using it.

Check out the stories here and here.


It's not much different than when a company throws out a free shirt or hat at an event, you don't have to wear it but it's there.

We wanted companies and ad agencies to see packages that they don't see everyday. We want to create dialog and conversation.

The package was for sponsoring the high schools in Orange County for one week and the company got two PA announcements at every game in the district. That there should be enough to spend the $6,725 to help pay for the coaches.

Also, on the same page, it stated how proud we are of the coaches, parents, and athletic directors in this district for turning out athletes like the NFL's leading rusher, Chris Johnson, and baseball's CY Young award-winning pitcher Zach Greinke. Maybe we could get one of them to don an Orange County Public Schools eye black next season, huh?

Also, on the same page, it wasn't included in any of the media coverage that Orange County Public Schools must cover $4,162,085 in coaching supplements alone each year.

Hope this puts everybody back on the same page. By the way, you can order eye black from here (www.eyeblack.com) and kids already pay for corporate eye black logos.