Marius to get ahead via eBay
2005-01-19 14:02
Cape Town - A Somerset West man wants to be the first to market the back of his head on the internet to anyone who wants to have an advertisement tattooed there.
Marius Lourens, 29, said on Wednesday: "There are few people who can say they were the first in the world to do something."
And, he wants to be one of those who can boast with a world first.
He saw on the eBay internet auction page that an American had marketed his head for a temporary tattoo for a month-long period and the bids came pouring in.
Lourens decided he would do it properly by marketing his head for a permanent tattoo.
To be able to do this, he will have to shave off his luxuriant head of hair, but he will do so gladly to meet the demands of an advertiser.
He thinks it may be painful when he gets to a tattoo artist, but he considers even that could be worthwhile.
Advert will 'run' for two months
He might be able to make more than $10 000 (about R59 000) with his enterprise.
This is the highest bid that has been made so far.
Whoever makes the winning bid will have the right to market any product on the back of Lourens's head for two months.
An England organisation has shown an interest in his plan, but so far nobody from South Africa has come to the fore, said Lourens on Thursday.
The tattoo will be about 5cm x15cm, he said.
Lourens already has another tattoo of Wiley Coyote of the Roadrunner comic strip.
He said his business was involved in marketing and he was always on the lookout for new places where he could advertise.
A person's head is an under-used medium and so far 10 people have phoned him and offered their heads if there is enough interest in tattooed advertisements.
Lourens says he will also donate part of the payment for the tattoo to victims of the tsunami disaster.