• MSNBC/AP, Tuesday, November 27, 2007 11:15 AM

On a never-ending quest to appeal to the young and young-minded, companies from Goodyear to Volvo are using tattoos in advertising and promotion. Once seen as a silent cry of rebellion, tattoos now possess a status so firmly mainstream that the Web site Leaseyourbody.com connects advertisers with those who want to be paid for sporting tattoo advertisements.

For three years, Goodyear's Dunlop tire unit has offered a set of free tires to anyone who will get the company's flying-D logo tattooed somewhere on their body, and 98 people have taken up the offer. Volvo recently created a fictional character whose tattoos spelled out the coordinates of an undersea location of $50,000 in gold coins and the keys to a new car.

The 7-Eleven convenience store chain recently started selling an energy drink called Inked, aimed at people who either have tattoos or want to think of themselves as the tattoo type. And wine sellers have adopted the tattoo, with managers of the popular Yellow Tail brand sending 600,000 temporary tattoos out with an issue of The New Yorker and Billington Wines taking the name Big Tattoo Wines.

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