• by Joe Mandese , January 5, 2004

Advertisers normally use money to make media buys, but beginning this month, an entertainment marketer will use money as a media buy. In what is believed to be a first of its kind media buy, USA Network will distribute $1 bills in upscale bars, restaurants and nightclubs in New York and Los Angeles bearing sticker ads promoting the Jan. 26 premiere of its "Traffic: The Miniseries."

The deal, which is being handled by guerrilla marketing firm GoGORILLA Media, will place "Traffic" promo stickers on the face of dollar bills, which will be circulated by bartenders who will circulate them when making change for their customers.

The stunt represents a radical twist on the use of U.S. currency as advertising. It's only been about a decade since the U.S. Treasury liberalized its rules for reproducing currency in advertising. Previously, counterfeiting laws prohibited the depiction of actual currency in ad campaigns. Even now, those rules require that such ads depict only one side of U.S. currency and that they be printed in dimensions that are either much larger or much smaller than actual currency.

While the U.S. Treasury also has rules for defacing legal tender, the GoGORILLA media team presumably checked that out.

Meanwhile, USA Network marketing executives say they are hopeful the campaign and its unconventional media strategy should generate the kind of buzz USA's edgy new "Traffic" series is looking for.

"The themes of the miniseries include the illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons, and humans, all for financial gain. Therefore there is a natural connection with advertising on actual money. The medium fits the message," explained Michael Dare, director of promotion at USA Network.