The YouTube video about coffee cup advertising was made by the Light Brothers, Josh and Caleb. Two guys I’ve had the pleasure to get to know over the past several months. Their marketing company, CupAd, is a great example of taking an established practice, such as outdoor advertising or branded paper cups, and combining it with another concept, like an ad network, to create a whole new way of advertising that adds value to new group.
They provide free paper cups to local coffee shops. The cups are double walled so it saves on sleeves as well. This greatly reduces the overhead to the shop owners. In exchange CupAd is allowed to put advertising on the cups. Advertising which is seen by at least 6 other people and creatively gives the advertiser about 37 minutes of brand exposure as they finish their beverage. CupAd also allows advertisers to target geographically a particular demographic and then track the results via QR codes and text messaging codes.
This business model allows CupAd to have the advertiser to pay for the production of the cups and provide them with a little profit. Not a bad gig and just wait until they build out their self-service website. Nothing like making money while you sleep.
