My New Favorite Cause Marketing Fundraiser

One of the first rules of blogging is to never start a post with an apology. But rules were made to be broken, especially when it involves tattoos.

I apologize for not posting on Food Tattoos for Hunger, which took place at tattoo shops mainly in the United States but also elsewhere on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. Food Tattoos for Hunger was a collective of shops and parlors offering food Flash tattoos in order to raise money for various hunger charities and food banks. ‘Flash’ tattoos… that is tattoos designed originally using Adobe Flash…go on quicker than when using more traditional methods.

At left are some designs submitted for the event from artist Joe King.

The way it worked is that artists would volunteer their time and materials in a marathon tattoo day. Back in the day, hairdressers did something very similar with ‘cut-a-thons.’

The goal of Food Tattoos for Hunger was to attract 100 shops and generate an average of $1,500 for a total of $150,000. I called Food Tattoos for Hunger a collective, but even that seems too formal a handle. The organizers… Off the Map Tattoo in East Hampton, Mass… put out the word via social and traditional media and suggested the general parameters for how to run the promotion.

I suspect they picked a Sunday because there’s less tattoo business then, although I’m sure it isn’t true for every shop.

I couldn’t find any word on whether or not they achieved their goal, but I dig how grassroots this cause marketing fundraiser is. The principals at Off the Map saw a problem and figured out how they could address it using their own skills and passion. Then they called on their peers to join in and help.

Other personal service providers… nail salons, personal trainers, yoga studios, etc… could do something similar.

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