Many Aussies are open to the prospect of being used for advertising by the brands they like “in unusual and personal ways”, including sponsorship of photos via social media, according to recent research.
According to the YouGov Omnibus research, 13% of Aussies would follow in the footsteps of British man Nathan Garner, who legally changed his middle name to Yorkshire Tea, while 7% would be willing to change their first name to that of a brand they liked.
The research, which was based on data collected online in December from 943 Australian respondents, also reveals that 56% of respondents would appear in a television advertisement to endorse a brand, and 52% would be okay with having a brand logo and the words “sponsored by” in the bottom corner of the profile photo on all their social media accounts.
Meanwhile, 41% said they would be happy to have a brand logo and the words “sponsored by” in every one of their social media posts.
Pinterest and Snapchat users lead the way as those most likely to allow a brand to advertise on their profile photo, with 63%, and 50% and 49%, respectively, saying they would be willing to let brands sponsor all of their posted photos.
LinkedIn users (62% of whom would be willing to allow a brand to advertise on their profile photo, and 49% of whom would be willing to let brands sponsor all of their posted photos), Instagram users (59% and 45%), Google+ (59% and 51%), Facebook (56% and 43%) and Twitter (56% and 50%) were not far behind.
Meanwhile, 39% of Aussies said they would be willing to wear a shirt or top with a large picture of a brand’s logo on it for a year, and 16% would be willing to get a permanent tattoo of the logo of a brand they liked. Thirty-eight percent said they would be okay with a brand placing a billboard on the outside of their home.
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Martin Kovacs is a journalist with experience covering the IT, consumer electronics, retail, finance and energy sectors.
