'Human Billboard' Recruits 800 New Clients for C I Host

'Human Billboard' Recruits 800 New Clients for C I Host
Release Date: 10/19/2004

DALLAS, Oct 19, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- C I Host, a global leader in Web hosting and software development, today announced its walking, breathing "Human Billboard" captured 800 new accounts since the promotion began in March of 2003. After signing a contract with C I Host, Jim Nelson had the company's logo tattooed on the back of his head.

"The campaign brought C I Host's message to the masses," said Christopher Faulkner, CEO of C I Host. "The 'Human Billboard' is responsible for bringing us hundreds of new clients -- a success by any means."

The 800th customer, Marion Rice of Omaha, Neb., saw the tattoo and instantly questioned Nelson.

"The 'Human Billboard' caught my eye and when I stopped him, he told me about C I Host," Rice said. "He was a big factor in my decision to go with C I Host."

The unique advertising idea has been featured in the press worldwide. Nelson agreed to the unusual use of his head to raise money for a dot.com business.

The five-year contract requires the "Human Billboard" to keep the tattoo visible at all times and make daily treks promoting C I Host, which includes trips throughout the continental U.S.

Faulkner knew the program would be successful shortly after it began -- 23 new accounts were generated directly from the tattooing event and C I Host Web traffic increased 12 percent just within the first two months of the campaign.

"The 'Human Billboard' is one of the most aggressive salespeople I've got," Faulkner said. "This proves the power of grassroots, guerrilla marketing should never be underestimated."

Photos of the tattoo can be downloaded by visiting: http://www.cihost.com/?zone=corporate/human_billboard

About C I Host:

C I Host (http://www.cihost.com ), based in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, is a global Web hosting and Internet solutions provider serving 210,000 individual consumers and businesses in 190 countries worldwide. C I Host's headquarters and Network Operations Center are in Bedford, Texas, and the company operates additional diverse data centers in Los Angeles and Chicago.

SOURCE C I Host