Advertising on baby clothing

Manitoba couple wants to use baby for unique advertising scheme
at 20:48 on May 9, 2005, EST.
STEVE LAMBERT

WINNIPEG (CP) - It seems you can sell just about anything on the Internet, including advertising space on a baby.

A Winnipeg couple who describe themselves as young, middle-class professionals are offering companies the chance to place ads on all of their baby girl's outdoor clothes for one full year. "People, often . . .wear clothing with logo advertisements on it as it is," said Jonathan, the baby's father, who did not want his last name used.

"They don't get paid a dime. Maybe they should."

Jonathan and his wife, Leanne, have put pictures of their daughter on the EBay auction website, pitching her as a great advertising medium.

"We are constantly stopped on the street, at malls, in the supermarket, in parking lots and the park by total strangers who want to see our little girl," reads the couple's online offer.

"Every single one of them is a potential customer that could be exposed to a company's message."

Jonathan said he and Leanne were inspired by the growing number of adults in the United States and Canada who have used their body parts for ads.

Earlier this year, a Nebraska man auctioned off his forehead as advertising space, and received $37,375 from a company that manufactures snoring remedies.

Last November, Andy Quinlan of Fredericton offered his shaved head as a billboard.

Jonathan said his offer will not harm his baby because the ads will only be on her clothes and her daily routine will not change.

Aware that some people might accuse him of exploiting his child, he said his idea is a lot better than having his child involved in acting or modelling.

"It's . . . less invasive, because you don't have to put them in front of cameras, take them to photographers, stuff like that."

One marketing expert said the growing trend of body advertising is a sign that companies are looking for new ways to attract customers.

"Consumers are bombarded by thousands of messages each day, and what's happening is traditional advertising is kind of getting lost in the clutter," said Robert Warren, a professor at the University of Manitoba who directs the school's Centre for Entrepreneurship.

"As a marketer, you have to come up with a way to cut through all that clutter.

"You're putting something in a place where people wouldn't expect to see an ad."

Although body advertising might be effective, Warren warned companies that use babies risk facing a backlash.

"I'd think a fairly susbstantial minority will see that as exploiting a child, and the companies that do that may run the risk of being branded as nothing more than hirers of child labour," Warren said.

Jonathan and Leanne, whose EBay code name is Panzer1234, are offering to do some of the work for prospective advertisers. If the company doesn't want to provide clothing with ads already attached, they say they will sew the ads onto neutral-coloured clothing.

The couple have drawn a line at the ad's content. Their proposal states that they will not make their baby wear "any language, message or logo deemed controversial or in bad taste."