Many TV watchers are cutting the cord from cable TV or satellite TV and going with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. But one college student and aspiring fashion designer from Indiana has taken his love for Netflix a step farther than just a subscription, getting the name of the company tattooed on his stomach.
Really? You might ask. It’s not a joke, as verified by the Los Angeles Times:
(For all you skeptics out there, he swears it’s “definitely real.“)
Robinson couldn’t keep the tattoo under wraps (or under his shirt) for long. He tweeted his tattoo to Netflix, which gave him a shout out and a subscription. Even Hastings took notice on his Facebook page.
“[T]hank you so much for the free year!!!!” Myron tweeted back.
That’s $96 worth of free streaming (or a value of $228 if Netflix threw in a 3-DVD-per-month plan too).
Did Netflix get off cheap with a one-year subscription in exchange for a lifetime of devotion?
“I wasn’t expecting anything,” Robinson said.
Tattoos are just one over-the-top way ordinary peeps try to get their favorite brands’ attention. Some publicity stunts have even longer and more tell-tale consequences: think naming your baby Facebook or Like. And then some are just temporary statements.
We’ve gotta give Robinson props for not following the crowd of ink-stained Apple wretches or those who have searched for new spots on their bodies to declare their allegiance to Google, not to mention Microsoft (Microsoft! Seriously, now we have seen everything).
But Gizmodo said it best with this headline: “This Awful Netflix Tattoo Comes With a Free Year of Service and Lifetime of Shame.”
Perhaps there will be a retort from fans of cable services like Charter Communications and DIRECTV. We wonder if one of those providers would give a free year of service for someone getting a satellite dish tattoo.
The TV, Internet and Phone Blog 