Free branded t-shirts could be a new advertising gimmick

In spite of the current financial situation, advertising spend in the GCC is constantly increasing, at least that’s what the latest reports keep revealing. But most companies in the region are now bound to restrain their spending and try to keep it at a minimum. Perhaps using some innovative and new techniques can help them have more targeted advertising. Like this one.

Trend-spotting site Springwise features US-based site Gitchers, which is essentially a database of people who want free branded t-shirts. To sign up, consumers tell Gitchers what type of shirt they’re interested in—featuring the logo of a favorite brand or website—along with key demographic information such as their birthday, gender and location.

Participating companies, meanwhile, tell Gitchers what types of consumers they’d like their t-shirts to be sent to—women aged 35 to 50 in Columbus, Ohio, for example—and pay $10.99 each for a minimum of 100 shirts. The first Gitchers users in the database meeting the advertiser’s criteria are then the lucky recipients of the shirts.

Each Gitchers account is associated with only one t-shirt request, so users must create separate accounts, using distinct e-mail addresses for each, to request more than one type. The site also has special t-shirts for dogs.

The business model behind Gitchers is a simple one; find interested advertisers, and interested consumers (the latter shouldn’t be too tough, as everybody loves a free t-shirt). The people who are doing the branding can also use some witty or humorous slogans, which would make the advertising more appealing.

Branding done by placing a logo on a t-shirt is not going to be too expensive (as perhaps compared to an outdoor ad in Dubai), and at the same time it’s possible for the advertiser to reach their target audience. It could also help the advertiser create more awareness about the brand.
Anyone game for a Kippreport t-shirt?