We are getting signatures from people like you who would like to see panhandlers holding signs to advertise versus cardboard
With all the human resources we have in people who panhandle, why not have them hold signs to market and advertise?
We believe that street corners are ideal for guerilla marketing & those who need money can hold poles with banners and get paid for it
How? Clearly it would be difficult to deliver signs to panhandlers at each street corner, so we devised a self-serve kiosk
The kiosk releases a sign when a button is pressed, a timer starts, and at the end of a timed period a card pops out to be cashed at an ATM
A camera *could* be installed to track activity, determine that the sign has been held via software, and to stream to a central location for monitoring
To test our idea, we gave a panhandler money for holding a sign to advertise our documentary
After 2 hours, he was exhilarated: for the first time people rolled down their windows and talked to him: treated him with the dignity he deserves
And he was paid more than the 25 dollars per session a panhandler typically receives
This CAN be done: in Nashville, Tennessee, NO one flies a sign: street corners are animated by those who sell newspapers instead, and 30% of these folks get off the streets & into housing*
If you’re a business owner who wants exposure, these signs are up 24/7 whether being held or not; and are likely more visible than billboards, or signs on buses and benches
Though sign holders may not always appear dressed up, buyers associate your good deed with your advertising: the penultimate guerilla marketing effect
So we are taking our game changer to the next level through grant applications for a feasibility study
And we need your signature on our petition to make Guerilla Marketing for Dignity a grassroots effort with wide support
Will you be the one who joins with us to provide dignity and jobs for those who panhandle? Sign our petition!
*30% is an estimate provided by The Contributor newspaper non-profit as of 2016.