A 22-year-old Seattle man has been praised as a "genius" and criticized as a "poverty pimp" for using street people to advertise his poker Web site.
Ben Rogovy said he has been a wheeler-dealer since high school and came up with the idea of using beggars to push his PokerFaceBook.com site while driving one day.
"So much traffic goes by these sign holders, I thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool if they could advertise themselves and me at the same time?'" Rogovy told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Rogovy has trademarked "Bumvertising," a marketing idea that has won him international attention.
While some have called the tactic "brilliant," homeless advocates called Rogovy a "poverty pimp" for the small amounts of money, food and beverage he gives street people who carry his signs.
The Washington Department of Labor said the approach does not appear to violate work rules since the street people technically are not working.
"I don't know if I'm socially insensitive but it seems pretty logical to me," Rogovy said.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
