Prija Phaphouampheng, the Sneaky Bastard over at Cash for Comments came up with a guerrilla marketing idea that is so crazy, it just might work. Prija wants to make a movie call Blogging The Movie. The feature documentary will follow ten bloggers as they go about their daily lives for three to seven days. In order to get the project off the ground, Prija needs to generate some buzz and raise some money. There’s no better way to get that than by ordering a ReviewMe review to get the John Chow Effect.
Raise $50,000 By Giving Away Two Cars
Prija has came up a very aggressive promotion to raise the $50,000 needed to bring Blogging The Movie to life. He plans to give away two cars. Who is paying for these cars? Hopefully, you will. Advertisers may sponsor the cars for $100. In exchange for the cash you will get the following benefits.
- Two 200 word reviews
- Your domain name on two Scion tC’s
- Permanent link on BloggingtheMovie.com/Car
- Be part of the 1st free car giveaway in blogging history
- Publicity from the media hype that the movie will generate
Only 500 sponsorship spots are available. I can only picture what a Scion tC with 500 URLs on it will look like. One of the cars will be given to Prija’s little sister in a “big brother gives little sister a car” tear jerking TV moment. The other car will be given away to one lucky winner. You do not have to purchase a sponsorship spot to win the car. The winner will also be part of the movie.
Two Scion tC Cost $35,600. Where Is The Rest of The $50,000 Going?
- Product of stickers ads= $1,000-1,500
- Blog World Expo booth = $2,500-$10,000
- Initial Filming = $2,000-$10,000
Prija is going all in with this promotion. If all 500 sponsorship spots are not bought you will receive a full refund on 09/01/2008. However you will still get your permanent link and the two free reviews. So sponsoring the Blogging The Movie should be a no risk proposition.
Has This Guy Ever Filmed a Movie Before?
My first question upon hearing this idea was what kind of filming experience, if any, does Prija have? From his Cash for Comment blog, I can tell that he is good at marketing but I do not know if he can produce a movie. So I emailed him and asked. This was his reply.
I have Paperplane Productions to do the filming and editing. They are a small independent film company in Orange County that specializes in documentaries. They have done some behind the scenes documentary work for The Rebel – the most expensive Vietnamese blockbuster movie that is soon to be released in Vietnam. The film crew flew over to Vietnam and filmed in the jungles in extreme conditions. So I believe filming 10 bloggers all over the world will be a nice vacation.
Pulling it off? To answer this question is it not just going to be a one man project. I currently have a PR rep who will be handling the press releases and he will be contacting media outlets. I have a film crew. I have a music producer for the movie. I have a photographer for photo ops. The media needs newsworthy information that’s why I’m planning on giving away the free car. I’m also giving one away to my little sister, because it will be a more heart felt story.
Why should this work? I’m not trying to aim to get 1 million dollars with 10,000 ads. I’m only want to reach 50k with 500 ads. It has never been done before, and I will be the first.
World Wide Casting Call for Bloggers
If you would like to be one of the ten bloggers to be featured in Blogging The Movie, then copy and paste the fields below and put it on your blog with the answers to the questions.
- Real Name:
- Blog URL:
- Niche Market:
- Something interesting about yourself:
- Why is your blog different from the everyone else?:
- What are you most afraid of?:
Try to keep the entry to less than 500 words. Once posted on your blog, send the URL to BloggingTheMovie@gmail.com. If you are selected, Blogging The Movie will film your blogging life for three to seven days. Prija is hoping to film in the summer of 2008. This casting call is open to bloggers world wide.
497 Sponsorship Spots Left
After reading through the Blogging The Movie and Cash for Comments blog, I decided to pony up the $100 for a sponsorship spot. Just like the Million Dollar Wiki, the advertisers who get in early will reap the most benefits if Prija is able to pull this project off. If he doesn’t sell out the sponsorship spots, we’ll get our money back. If he doesn’t give us our money back, I know where he lives and he’ll be paid a visit from Ricky and the boys. Believe me, you don’t want a visit from Ricky and the boys.
Like the Million Dollar Wiki, Blogging The Movie will make heavy use of viral marketing. This review is just the start of the campaign. Once word of the project starts spreading across the Internet, Prija shouldn’t have much problems selling all 500 sponsorship spots. I wish Prija the best of luck and hope to see Blogging The Movie at a future film festival.