Moogy,

I like the idea.

What I don't know is if compagnies who already have a big name are interested in giving away things.

Maybe you can still add something about the marketing concept:
1) why would compagnies do this
2) why with you and not with their own website
3) how are you making money.

Tommy

1)
To get more accurate brand market information
To identify with type of gear is better representative of their brand
Wider range of marketable gear.
To get precise demographic and geographic information

2)
Most of the reasons in 1)
Information about cross branding (Ford cap with IBM T-shirt)
The ability to expose their brand to new populations
Exposing brands inside and outside of their focus market
New market creation

3)
Selling marketing information
Getting paid by Companies to promote their brand
Web traffic

]V[oogy

I think there's a very simple first step - get in touch with some of the big names you mention and see if they're interested. If they are then go for it - many people will take all the free stuff you can throw at them. If they're not, you're kind of dead in the water...

I wonder if this could work. For sure, a company will only want to give out branded goods if the recipient:
- Does not have a criminal record which would sully the brand.
- Is attractive.
- Is well respected in their community.

So one of the goals of your web site would be to filter out the riff-raff. The plebs would either be denied access to valuable (branded) goods, or be given useless stuff to placate them until they finally tired of the site.

I think the demographic information the site gathers may not be useful to the companies involved. Instead of providing an accurate picture of who's interested in a certain brand, they may end up knowing who's cheap or poor.

This is definitely and interesting idea. There would be some issues you need to address such as:
- How would you prevent the cost of goods being distributed exceed your advertising revenue?
-Also what would prevent one person from creating multiple identities and receiving multiple free gifts?

Also you have no control over who's receiving the free products, which your advertisers might not want.

I like it. Unless we are talking about really low cost items. I think companies
would only be interested in sponsoring part of the price, in exchange for their logo on their items.

Like cofepress.com where I can place my sites logo on t-shirts, cups etc and sell to customers.

No way I can pay the 15$ for the t-shirt just so someone wears the logo. But then again Im not a big company. But I think big companies like a good return on their invstments as well.

Thanks for all the input.

I think it's a feasible idea if done with proper marketing.

]V[oogy

Sound like a great idea.

Free stuff sites all ready exist. What makes this so great also, are you aware of the costs involved hear. Cost benefit wise the company's would be at a loss if they were giving away quality items for free expecting nothing in return.

Heheh. A site like HotorNot, where depending on your looks rating, you get better free stuff! ;-)

Licensed stuff is big business for big brands. I would doubt you could get it for Free

This could only work if the end-user didn't have to pay shipping and handling. Nobody would pay to be a walking billboard.

I can actually see this working for people or organizations that need help in supporting their cause. These organizations would look for companies that feel that certain companies support their initiatives or have products that their target group find helpful.
I guess it would be more like a match-making thing. Is that digressing from the original idea?

I like it. You'd have to have the infrastructure in place to manufacture/purchase/brand the free stuff, but I could see promise in this.

Most companies have no problem giving away free stuff.... they usually use it to bring interest to their own causes, not someone else's website.

"This could only work if the end-user didn't have to pay shipping and handling. Nobody would pay to be a walking billboard."

LOL,
people pay big bucks for clothes with big company logos.

bravo man !!!! i reallyyyyy love it! though have to see how it goes with the marketing minds

Unfortunately, I don't think this will fly. As someone else mentioned, people already pay big bucks for branded gear... Heard of Ralph Lauren, Esprit, etc.? Or hockey jerseys that go for $200 a pop?... That's the thing -- why give it away when people will pay top dollar?

Some of you get it and some of you don't...

Giving away a polo shirt or a hockey jersey is not what I'm talking about.
The gear is the product, is the brand.... so these can not be given out for free...

GM is not in the business of sell cap or coats... These are the clients.
They are ready to pay big money... if we can provide them with accurate and useful information.

User give me you info... and I give you free stuff from the brand you want.
Brand pay me for the info from the user...

I'm the middle man with the hand in the pockets...

]V[oogy

I like the idea!

What company wouldn't pay a little bit of money to outsource giving away branded stuff on their behalf?

this is cool.... but tell me what makes your stuff/branding affordable if not cheap?

Isn't this what middlemen everywhere have been doing for centuries? So another way to gather info from consumers and sell their information? Is that what we are talking about?

um k compagnies is not a words its COMPANIES

sorry**

Hc1027

A company that needs accurate data.
GM, Sun, Apple, Wal-Mart...

saigon
The clients pay a good price for information. We offer good quality gear because of that.
We don't want to hurt the brand with bad gear...

gregbd
Pretty much in a nut shell. But the consumer does get good quality FREE gear out of it.

]V[oogy

idevlabs said:
"This could only work if the end-user didn't have to pay shipping and handling. Nobody would pay to be a walking billboard."

People pay for (overtly) branded clothing/gear everyday. Nike, Polo, Adidas...

I agree with Philip H. Big companies already do something like this but to the promote their products with free hand outs to retailers who will in turn promote the product.

Moogy, in this week's contest there is this idea from pinkpig (http://www.cambrianh...r/ideas-id/dH5DEFh/) maybe there is a combination of ideas possible that make both concepts stronger. Just an idea (oh- should i post it then... just kidding)