OpenIdea: Benefitr.com
Marjolijn wanted a Canon EOS 400D but didn’t want to pay for it. She decided to build a website (Givemeaneos.nl) and offer her services for free, for a year, to anyone who would be willing to buy her that camera. She started on March 5 and received her brand new camera, including accessories, from Canon on March 28. She will give every photo she makes to Canon for a year and be available to photograph one of their events. Several blogs have picked up on the news and she even received a few requests for interviews from mainstream press.
Great deal for her AND a great deal for Canon so both parties benefit…
A few weeks ago I did a similar thing on my blog. I wanted a Blackberry Pearl and promised to link to my sponsor on every post I did with the Blackberry Pearl. Within 30 minutes a sponsor contacted me and within 3 days I had my Blackberry Pearl. Feeling lucky I then posted a request for a trip on someone private jet. No news on that yet…
So where does this lead and how can we make this scale?
My OpenIdea: Benefitr.com
How it works:
- You want something and don’t want to pay for it. A camera, iPod, car, Island, clothing, food, girlfriend, laptop or sunglasses
- You post your requested item to Benefitr.com and explain what it is you will do in return
- Companies can check these posts and select the ones who will do the most for an item
- Both parties benefit: you get stuff for free, companies get free promotion.
Now all we need is a huge of marketing budget to promote this service and if only 1% of all gadgets are promoted this way we will be rich! [Sorry about that.]
People using this service will promote Benefitr.com and each delivered gadget will earn more attention and enlarge your audience.
Benefitr.com will be applying the ‘Power of Many’ to Marketing. ‘PMM’ for ‘Power of Many Marketing’?
Instead of paying one artsy manager with designer glasses to come up with an expensive marketing plan you simply check Benefitr.com and who will do the most for one free sample product.
As with any idea the value isn’t in the idea but in the execution. That is why this is another OpenIdea. Feel free to copy the idea and become rich. If you want the domain and my expertise with it I’ll be happy to work with you.
If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thank you for visiting and I am looking forward to hearing your comments!
Want to ask me a personal question? Contact me at boris@bomega.com
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Post that are (could be!) related to this post:
OpenIdea: Nameo.org
... TwitterMail.com in 9, 8, 7…
... Benefitr.com = Minimarketing
...
Raimo van der Klein said,
April 18, 2007 @ 10:48 am (10:48)
I like your Openidea concept. Isn’t Openidea a great Openidea??
April 18, 2007 @ 11:08 am (11:08)
I’m in! I can help with the concept, get funding :) communication, PR.
April 18, 2007 @ 11:24 am (11:24)
Patrick: you are not allowed to join! You shouldn’t even be reading my blog! You should be working on Fleck, The Next Web Conference, OpenCoffee Amsterdam and your own blog. ;-)
pixites said,
April 18, 2007 @ 1:19 pm (13:19)
Count me in; I am Dutch; always in for a Dutch treat and having things for free, but what if: the best things in life are free, you can give um to the birds and bees: I want money, that’s what I want…
Roel said,
April 18, 2007 @ 1:27 pm (13:27)
I love that idea! It’s modern barter, with a focus on gadgets.
You could kickstart it with a week aimed at supporting a good cause, so they also benefit. Example: Nokia sponsors some people with N95’s, who are then sent to refugee camps to film the work of the Red Cross for a week. The results of their mobile photo and video shoots are blogged, and maybe also part of a daily tv journal somewehere? Off course, this week coincides with the week during which the Red Cross is holding its annual fundraising week. It’s a win-win-win situation.
Sign me up! :)
April 18, 2007 @ 2:50 pm (14:50)
[...] Boris van Bomega heeft weer een nieuw idee; Benefitr.com. Kort gezegd komt het er op neer dat je iets op je verlanglijste hebt staan, maar je wilt er niets voor betalen. Dit laat je weten op deze site samen met wat je eventuele tegenprestatie zal zijn als iemand anders het betreffende product voor je koopt. Lees meer op zijn eigen site! [...]
April 18, 2007 @ 8:24 pm (20:24)
I also like the concept of Open Idea. You can count me in for that one.
April 18, 2007 @ 8:30 pm (20:30)
A welcome message with my first comment. That’s also something I really like :-). Guess I have to make more comments on blogs.
April 18, 2007 @ 8:38 pm (20:38)
Boris,
Good idea ! Soort Mechanical Turk voor Businesses maar dan beter betaald ;-) Want iets concreets. Businesses krijgen leuke ideeen en PR voor noppes.
Succes met de ontwikkeling ervan. Ik ben bereid een keer mee te denken als jij dat zou willen. Kijk maar…
Cheers,
Yuri
April 20, 2007 @ 9:54 am (9:54)
Do I have an offer for you!!
For a give away price a fine and good working weblog, running very well, with staff.
That’s to say a green chap is doing the ftp server, some others are personel, posting and other foollish things.
It seems to work, and that’s a miracle!
zeikerdje.com
What’s its meant for?
It’s theraphie and threatment for the fools on the net, and for our amusment [kind of therapie also].
When you buy this site, you or you’re compagnie, can be sure to be placed everywhere on the net, our blog too, and we prommise we won’t laugh!
joop said,
April 22, 2007 @ 10:23 am (10:23)
At first your idea got me thinking of http://www.retailmenot.com/view/godaddy.com, but it seems to be quite different.
So why did the Canon, and your Blackberry example succeed?
I would assume that it is because both of you managed to get a lot of attention around your wish, I’m afraid that a web product for the masses will reduce the effect of an internet buzz.
Things you can think of:
*How to get this ready for the masses
*Will promotion by the receivers/customers be stimulated (like uploading funny pictures with the product)
*Can companies enter products as well?
*Maybe you should globfrag this website because of shipping costs
Just want to say that I like the idea!
cheers…
Sander said,
June 16, 2008 @ 1:44 pm (13:44)
Hi Boris; i was browsing trough your openidea’s and think this one is pretty interesting. We could even do some some twitter integration and blog widgets to have the users promote the website.
Still willing to share your expertise and help to realise this website?