I saw over on the 10 Yetis blog that another Japanese company is offering free stuff in exchange for a chance to show adverts. This time the company is Apex Corp.
Apex Corp is a vending machine operator that runs 35,000 vending machines across Japan that serve drinks in paper cups. From next month they plan to turn their machines into a new medium for advertisers, who will pick up the partial or full cost of drinks.
The vending machine will play an advertiser’s video for around the 30 seconds it takes to pour the drink and dispense a paper cup with an advertisement printed on it.
Giving stuff away for free is certainly a viable business model for some, after all Google has become a billion dollar company giving away many of it’s products for free so what’s next, what can you give away for free while generating revenue from advertising, sponsorship or another means?
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
I remember somebody proposing something like this on Dragon’s Den for the London Underground, but the deal didn’t go ahead if I remember correctly. I think its a great idea.