Would You Get a Tattoo to Advertise a Book?

By Dianna Dilworth 

Hachette Australia is looking for a woman to tattoo an advertising campaign for the latest book in the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson.

“The Girl is Back and we want your back for a national Tatvertising campaign,” reads the promo site. “If you can handle it, just like Lisbeth Salander, register your details and tell us briefly why you’d like to be considered. You must be able to attend a live casting, in Sydney on Wednesday July 15, 2015.”

Sound crazy? The publisher is not the first to come up with this gimmick. The Verge has a history of other such publicity stunts:

In the early aughts, websites with tons of cash but little brand recognition anted up for the choice advertising real estate on human beings’ faces. If you skim through the pictures for even a second it’s obvious how predatory the practice is towards the poor and the desperate — including one woman who had GoldenPalace.com tattooed on her forehead in exchange for $10,000 that she needed to finance her son’s education.

Are you enough of a fan to get a dragon tattoo? Share your thoughts in the comments.