Last week, global tire brand Dunlop gave away free sets of tires to those who have agreed to get the company’s “Flying D” custom logo design tattooed on their body. This happened at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show held in Las Vegas.

Dunlop’s marketing manager claimed there are many devotees who are willing to get that tattoo because it will turn them to Dunlop ambassadors in their community. Moreover, this is their chance to show their commitment to Dunlop permanently

Tattoo advertising is not an entirely new tactic. In fact, companies like Converse, Levi’s, and Chanel had used this in some of their branding campaigns. While most campaigns use temporary tattoos, some businesses prefer permanent tattoos to maximize their investments. However, I have yet to find a well-designed study supporting the effectiveness of tattoo advertising for businesses.

If you think getting your logo tattooed on your customers’ bodies is a bit extreme, you may want to use a more subtle form of human billboard advertising – giving away free custom designed t-shirts with your company logo and slogan printed on it.

We also created the logo for a tattoo advertising company called TATAD who deal with advertising for Golden Palace.