Last week I have been to the Gründerfrühstück ("breakfast for startups") here in Wiesbaden to intoduce and discuss the idea of crowdfunding bitcoin advertisements. Went pretty well and I received a lot of interesting response, here is the article (german):
http://rhein-main-startups.com/2015/12/14/gruenderfruehstueck-im-dezember-bitcoins-im-kino-ein-kaufhaus-im-kiez-und-vieles-mehr/

- Gregor

Thanks for the note, I added english subtitles!

— Update post to https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1182612 —

Hello everyone,

first things first, here is the promised example advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dt3AGqRO1A (now with english subtitles)

Now to answer your questions:

Bind stores to accepting bitcoin as long as the ad runs!
I will require the stores to sign a contract which binds them to accept bitcoin for at least 6 months. I will create two ads with 8 different stores from the local city. Due to having only 4 slots in one ad, their ad will be played in cinemas for at least 3 months.

Best way of getting newcomers started with bitcoin?
That’s a topic bitcoin itself hasn’t made fully intuitive, yet. The purpose of this campaign is mainly to solve the issue of spending bitcoin, since here in Germany really few stores are accepting them. Of course the cinema visitors should get converted to bitcoin users after seeing our advertisement. Therefore I added the strech goal “After movie conversion Flyers” which will sum up bitcoin again and provide a three step guide on how to use bitcoin:

• Inform yourself
• Download App
• Get bitcoin

Make ad interesting, catchy, innovative!
As mentioned in my update video this is my main goal for the next example ad. Stay tuned!

Why collect funds? Why not collect funds and make no ads and sell ad time to local stores?
Bitcoin is not backed by a central organisation which has a budget to invest into marketing. All I can contribute are the best prices for advertisement time and convincing local stores with free ads to accept bitcoin. Whether this is a welcomned idea will be decided by the crowdfunding campaign.


Update on 12.10.2015 16:00 (UTC+1):
The Heimathafen in Wiesbaden jumped on board for our bitcoin cinema ads! I will feature them in the next update of the advertisement example. They are a cafe and coworking space: https://vimeo.com/74395144 (no captions!)


My Questions:

• Does anyone have experience with crowdfunding campaigns, especially for bitcoin supporting projects?
• Which crowdfunding platform should I pick? (cowdfund in BTC?)
• Any known legal problems on advertising the “private money” (as the German financial minister declared it)?
• Any ideas for strech goals? (Provide every new bitcoin user from cinema ad with a discount for their next purchase at one of the 8 cooperating stores?)

What do you think about the example ad?


Liebe Grüße aus Wiesbaden, Gregor

Hello everyone and thank you very much for the positive freedback and suggestions! After the weekend I will release a precomposed bitcoin advertisement, so each other has a better idea of what we are talking about. In addition, my next update will cover the following points with more detail:

• Bind stores to accepting bitcoin as long as the ad runs!
• Best way getting newcomers started with bitcoin?
• Make ad interesting, catchy, innovative!
• Why collect funds?

Schönes Wochenende euch, Gregor

Dear Bitcoin Enthusiasts, my name is Gregor Volkmann, I am a german entrepreneur in cinema advertisements and currently planning a crowdfunding for advertising bitcoin in cinemas! I would like to know, what you think about my idea and whether I should start this campaign.

tl;dr: Bitcoin ads in cinemas for bitcoin purchaseable products from local, recently accepting stores. Free ad for accepting bitcoins.

The idea:

The idea is simple, but with a special addition. I want to crowdfund screentime for bitcoin in cinemas (I am in cooperation with a bunch of them and able to get very good prices). But just doing cinema advertisements for bitcoin wouldn’t change anything, since we have just few stores which accept bitcoin here in germany. Now, with the already funded screentime, I will go to local stores and offer it in exchange for accepting bitcoin!

Why I want this to happen:

• More people will understand bitcoin isn’t just “dark web money”
• Getting more connected to the local stores and cinemas
• Bitcoin would be usable by mainstream in the crowdfunded city

Planned stretch goals:
BTC advertisements in my original hometown Lüdenscheid (80k Inhabitants)
For at least 8 local stores I will do 6 months of advertising. Before every movie in the cinema our ad will be running. The minimum playtime for the ad will be 30 seconds, every store promotes in about 5 seconds products you can now buy with the easy to use bitcoins from them. At the end of the ad we will show the animated bitcoin logo and 3 sponsors of this crowdfunding.

Estimated expenses:
400€      Ad costs (6 Months, 30seconds, big hall)
200€      [recruit/collect/aquire] and record stores for the ad
200€      Postproduction
150€      Bitcoin workshop for stores, cinema and their staff
–––––
950€

BTC Advertisements in Lüdenscheid & my current hometown Wiesbaden (80k+270k Inhabitants)
8 Stores in each Lüdenscheid and Wiesbaden. 30 seconds each ad. Also see the above stretch goal.

Estimated expenses:
~1.000€   Ad costs Wiesbaden (6 Months, 30seconds, three halls)
200€      [recruit/collect/aquire] and record stores for the ad
200€      Postproduction
250€      Bitcoin workshop for stores, cinema and their staff (location may cost)
1.150€      Luedenscheid (see above + second hall)
–––––
2.750€

Each planned stretch goal is calculated for minimal effort and no rent for additional equipment, so every excess of the stretch goal to the next one will be used to refine the actual production (more stores, better sound/lighting). Details on my filming gear in a later post.

First test run:
I already asked local stores here in Wiesbaden, whether they could imagine accepting bitcoins in exchange for getting free advertisements in their local cinemas. Not only have I received acceptance and adoption promises, I also were allowed to film example footage to give the people interested in the crowdfunding a better idea of what I am talking about! Depending on how the reception of my post is, I will put the footage together and share it with you guys.


What do you think of this planned campaign?

Beste Grüße, Gregor