Bitcoin Forum

5-12-2011

The commercial is now live 6 days a week.
Here is a sample from 5-9-2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LzrnDnenw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LzrnDnenw)
To help me continue to pay for these,  please donate to:

1CMjGYzaStRStKwsoRUJYHR9Vev2UjpyfB







-----------------------------Edited 5/3/2011---------------------------------------
I'm starting a Bitcoin national radio campaign.
It will run on a nationally syndicated radio program on about 100 stations nationwide, including XM satellite radio, 6 days per week.
http://www.freetalklive.com/affiliates  (I think many listeners will already be interested in something like bitcoin)

The Bitcoin ad will be a 30 live read and a 30 second recorded ad, each will run 6 times per week.  (12 ads total)

I currently am paying $2500 USD a month for my ad contract.
For anyone who would like to help out with the cost, you are welcome to chip in a few bitcoins.  (you can make a pledge by posting below.)

My current radio ad is this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_wPsvmEG6A  (We will replace this with a bitcoin ad)


I've posted the sample wording for the ad in a post below,  please read it and give me your thoughts.


Roger Ver
Memory Dealers.com, Inc.
3350 Scott Blvd.
Building #32
Santa Clara, CA 95054
USA
 
Phone:+1 408 486 5650
Fax: +1 408 486 5653
Email: roger@memorydealers.com
Aim: rogerkver
MSN: roger@memorydealers.com

For all yor networking needs visit:
http://www.memorydealers.com

Splendid idea!

I'll pledge 10 BTC for the first month

I'll add another 2 BTC

I'm tired of waiting,  (and tired from my normal job)
I will donate my normal radio ads each day to bitcoin.

Can anyone help write up a template for what the radio hosts should say?
The time frame I have is 30 seconds, and I am sure the radio audience is the type of person who would already be interested in bitcoins.
They have been mentioning them nearly every day recently.

The radio show is on 95 Radio stations nationally plus XM Satelite radio.  (http://www.freetalklive.com)

Please write what you think the radio hosts should say in 30 seconds,  and I will have the adds started this week.

Lets make bitcoin mainstream ASAP!

Just for clarification: Do you just get 30 secs of radio time or do you get the host of the radio show to read a script?

I'd suggest cutting up the audio track from the video at http://www.weusecoins.com/ into 30 second pieces and rotate them.

first 30 seconds: advantages of bitcoin (targeted at consumers)

01:15 to 01:45 : targeted at merchands

I guess one'd have to check with the guys who made the video but I don't think they would say no to this.

Wow, this is a super generous offer to the community.  I wish some of the senior members/devs would chime in on this because I'd like to know if they feel bitcoin is ready for the mainstream after what has been experienced with the community in the past few days.

CoinMan

I bet you could get some good stuff from there to adapt to radio. You should definitely talk to JustMoon though, he's got a budget for this kind of stuff.

If you have the option I think you can do better than having Mark read a script. Maybe whoever did the voice on the weusecoins video would do it.

First thing, I suspect, is to actually have an ad, or at least an idea for an ad.

Now, the absolute first thing is that an ad has to have a call to action. Something for the person to do when they hear the ad. The obvious CTA is to visit bitcoin.org. But if you send people there, I think the site is going to need a lot more work, on its design, its content, and its hosting, none of which are entirely up to par for a mainstream audience. But that's a topic for another thread, if I can find it.

I like the idea of using the audio from the we use coins video that was created by the largest bitcoin bounty awarded ever.

You could make an example of the rise of value in bitcoins by saying the bounty now would be worth 3 times what it was when it was awarded.

One day will this be the most expensive youtube movie ever funded ?

This is really nice of you MemoryDealers!

Have you considered accepting bitcoins for your business and announcing that? It would be great advertising both for bitcoin and for you...

I have one 30 second live read per show,  and one 30 second recorded ad per show.
I am willing to donate both of them to bitcoin.

For the live read,  what do you think of this:


Are you tired of watching the value of the dollar plummet?
Are you tired of governments being able to monitor your finances?
Do you want to earn a lot of money?
In the last year, Gold is up 30%, Silver is up 145%, Bitcoins are up more than 800%!
Bitcoin is the worlds first decentralized, anonymous currency and is gaining popularity every day.
You can use them in any country around the world to buy or sell just about anything.
To learn more,  visit bitcoin.org

Please critique the above.

And if anyone needs any networking gear,  I am happy to accept payment in bitcoins for anything on my website.
http://www.memorydealers.com  (we should be able to accept bitcoins in real time on the site in about two weeks.  the new site is under construction currently.)

I just don't feel very good about the "Do you want to earn a lot of money?" part.
Sounds a little bit like a scam. And I don't think people should join bitcoin because of the promise of earning 800%
I would focus the campain in other features of bitcoin that are just as awesome as this.

Yeah me too, but still, people do it a lot on these investment-oriented ads. Look at those on bitcoincharts for example.
Maybe if they do it it's because it works... :p

How about this version?


Are you tired of watching the value of the dollar plummet?
Are you tired of governments being able to monitor your finances?
Then it is time to start using Bitcoin!
Bitcoin is the worlds first decentralized, anonymous currency and is gaining popularity every day.
They act like digital coins that you can send through the internet.
They are transfered directly from person to person without going through a bank or clearing house.
You can already use them in any country around the world to buy or sell just about anything.
To learn more,  visit bitcoin.org

There is only one major change I would make.

You can't really use Bitcoins to "buy or sell just about anything", at least not in the way most people will think. You can probably find someone to buy you just about anything, and then you pay them in Bitcoins, but you can't buy the thing yourself.

A(nother) modified form of the above:

Are you tired of watching the value of the dollar plummet?
Are you tired of banks charging you fees?
Do you want to take back control of your own money?
Then take a look at Bitcoin!
Bitcoin is the world's first decentralized, anonymous internet currency, and is gaining popularity every day.
It's free to use, free to accept, and free from inflation---forever!
You can use bitcoins anywhere in the world, and their value will only grow with time.
To learn more, visit weusecoins.org.

Here are some of the most important changes I made:

• Removed the "investor" angle. Most people don't have any investments at all, and they aren't really looking for one---but "dollars losing value" and "banks charging fees" are gripes they're familiar with.
• Mentioned anonymity once but didn't make it a major selling point. A person who has no problem giving their Gmail password to Facebook will not understand why anonymity matters, and may think this is some shady money laundering thing. (And they're not supposed to find that out until they're initiated!)
• Focused on the "free as in beer" aspect. The fact that no one controls Bitcoin is important, but hard to get across in 30 seconds. Best to leave it out if we can't make it clear.
• Replaced bitcoin.org with weusecoins.org---bitcoin.org is a better project site, but weusecoins.org is a better promotional site.

My only concern is that my version sounds a bit hokey to my ears. But maybe others will think it sounds okay. Anyway, that's just a suggestion---feel free to use any, all, or none of it.

He seems to be sold out at the moment,  but with this service, I would assume you can buy just about anything:


https://www.bitcoin2cc.com/

Please continue to give me your feedback.

This version sounds better.  If you need save a few seconds then this line could go or be replaced.   "Do you want to take back control of your own money?"  Maybe replace it with, "Are you sick of the gov't bailing out Wall St?"  (People are impulsive and emotional and we should use this to our advantage.)

Are you tired of watching the value of the dollar plummet?
Are you tired of banks charging you fees?
Are you sick of the gov't bailing out Wall St?
Then take a look at Bitcoin!
Bitcoin is the world's first decentralized, anonymous internet currency, and is gaining popularity every day.
It's free to use, free to accept, and free from inflation---forever!
You can use bitcoins anywhere in the world, and their value will only grow with time.
To learn more, visit weusecoins.com

Oh one more thing...its weusecoins.com NOT .org!!!

We actually have an additional 5 seconds or so that we can use.

Any ideas what we should say with those extra 5 seconds?

Repetition is effective:

"Again, go to weusecoins.com to learn more.  weusecoins.com"

According to my journalism teachers (way back when) leading with questions let's your audience too easily answer "no" in their minds and subsequently tune out.  I always thought that effect was a little overstated, but still it's real.

Plus, questions aren't really direct or "oomphy," among other things.

How about replacing those first three lines with something like this:

"The dollars in your wallet are losing their value every day. 
Don't let inflation and central banking policies erode the value of your hard earned money."

Great idea! Very generous, though I'm hopeful your investment will have generational returns by helping Bitcoin go mainstream.

One question: is it accurate to say Bitcoin is free from inflation forever, given that there are still millions of BTC to be mined?

It is free from arbitrary or unknown inflation forever. That is, if you define "Bitcoin" as the current set of rules in place, everyone will always know what the inflation rate is at any time. This allows entrepreneurs and investors to accurately take into effect the cost of inflation when determining profitability.

If you ask me... this is really good!

I like the "Do you want to take back control of your own money?" better then "Are you sick of the gov't bailing out Wall St?"

Are you tired of watching the value of the dollar plummet?
Are you tired of banks and these rich cock suckers taking away your last pennies?
Are you sick of incompetent gov't taking away the last freedoms you have? Did you know your money is used for murder and torture?
Wake the fuck up and take action! Bitcoin is the way out of this corrupt system!
It is the world's first decentralized, anonymous internet currency - it can not be controlled nor shut down.
It's free to use, free to accept, and free from inflation---forever!
You can use bitcoins to buy anything you want anywhere in the world, so get your AK-47 today and kill a banker. Make the world a better place!
To learn more, stop jerking off all day long and get online!

Crude, but entertaining.

Well, there's possibly room for both: "Are you sick of the government using your money to bail out Wall Street? Then take back control with Bitcoin!" etc.

You really need to contact Justmoon.

He has said that there is BTC left over from the animated movie bounty that can go towards stuff like this (can't find where anymore, this forum is becoming unworkably large) ... working in with weusecoins.com will make it smoother experience for the newcomers, i.e. direct them there to watch the weusecoins clip on youtube.

http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=697.msg79433#msg79433

http://www.weusecoins.com/

I agree, I think that's a fantastic idea. Maybe they could get like, Neal Patrick Harris to read the recorded advertisement.

Well if it's going to push weusecoins, we could use the same guy who narrated that.

Another idea, more conversational:

Cash register sounds and commotion
CLERK: That's $428.57, please.
CUSTOMER: Can you believe what groceries cost these days?
FRIEND: Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it? And it's only getting worse!
CUSTOMER: Inflation. What can you do?
FRIEND: Well, you could use Bitcoin instead.
CUSTOMER: Bitcoin? What's that?
FRIEND: Bitcoin is a new worldwide digital currency. It's free to use and accept.
CUSTOMER: Free!?
FRIEND: Yes, free! No one owns Bitcoin, so there's no one to charge you for it. And best of all, bitcoins actually gain value over time!
CUSTOMER: So prices in Bitcoin will go down over time instead of up?
FRIEND: I started using bitcoins when they were worth only fifty cents each---now they're worth over three dollars!
CUSTOMER: Wow, maybe I will start using them! Thanks!
FRIEND: No problem! To learn more, visit weusecoins.com.

I've just asked them to start the following ad:


Are you tired of watching the value of the dollar plummet?
Are you tired of banks charging you fees?
Do you want to take back control of your own money?
Then take a look at Bitcoin!
Bitcoin is the world's first decentralized, anonymous internet currency, and is gaining popularity every day.
It's free to use, free to accept, and free from inflation---forever!
You can use bitcoins anywhere in the world, and their value will only grow with time.
To learn more, visit weusecoins.org.  That’s weusecoins.org

We can still change it at any time in the future.
We also need to come up with a 30 second recorded ad.

I will post the audio of the first ad once it runs.

Found it ... justmoon says here that they may have funds for future projects

http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6402.msg93486#msg93486

http://www.weusecoins.com/fund.php

"Currently most of the funds are earmarked for making more videos, however we are always looking for other opportunities where a few coins can go a long way towards promoting Bitcoin. If you have any ideas, send us an email!"

They did a great job on the animated movie.

Sometimes false.
True.
Wildly false.  Do not use this statement!
Only true if you have Internet access anywhere in the world.
Probably false.

Very true.

Also, the standard in the call to action bit is to say it three times in a slightly different way each time.

Howard Stern does a live read for beezid (http://youtu.be/uCIWr5ABbeU)

Possibly an example of how to do a radio campaign (http://youtu.be/JGZWWuewYZI)

One thing has to change in the ad right now:

It's weusecoins.com, not .org

My mistake, sorry!

They both lead to the same site, doesn't matter :)

This is really exciting. Since I'm not in the states, could someone record one of the shows and share it?

Free Talk Live (http://www.freetalklive.com/)

They've talked about bitcoin at least 3 times, including about a week ago.

And tonight.

This is great!

Nice, free and natural advertising. Didn't listen yet.

Thanks for doing it! I've been a FTL listener for years now and I was surprised and happy to hear the ad on there!

This is really weird. As I was reading this I could totally hear an AM radio host saying this over the sound of beeping and truck engines in the middle of a traffic jam.

Why are you spending so much money on this?

Anyone got a link to a short clip of the ad itself .... ?

http://www.freetalklive.com/content/podcast_2011_05_03

The commercial starts at 1:02:53

And then it sparked a discussion of bitcoins for the next half hour on the show!

I imagine as long as the paid commercial runs on the show we will get lots of free advertising by the hosts and callers discussing it.

Someone please help make a 30 second recorded commercial to run as well.
I will start it running as soon as we have it.

Have you been able to contact justmoon yet, he's your guy for making ads? He's got contacts with people with 'ad-voices'.

I'm sure he'll be able to do this and might have some BTC to help also.

I was one of those callers.  

Welcome to the community! :)

Here is one of the commercials from a few days ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LzrnDnenw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LzrnDnenw)

Please feel free to help out with the cost a bit.


1CMjGYzaStRStKwsoRUJYHR9Vev2UjpyfB

Let me know if you have any other ideas!

Roger

Coins sent  ;)

Thanks guys!

I need to make a 30 second recorded advertisement as well.
Then our ads will run twice per day.  (One live read,  and one recorded)

I will update as soon as I have that done.