Promotional Geocoin

[+piema]

I was wondering, is it allowed for a company to make a geocoin and distribute it in caches for the sole purpose of promoting their business?

[+Droo]

You may want to take a look at this pinned topic.... Groundspeak's Current Coin Tracking Policy etc

 

However that's for trackable coins. If you want to distribute coins promoting your business that are not trackable then it's just a matter of taste. Using the game to advertise a business can be a bit like SPAM or fliers pasted to windshields all over the parking lot - and you know where that ends up. People have attributed and included their websites to personal coins. Vacman was one of the original geocoins and he was/is a vacuum cleaner sales and repairman.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Droo

[+WWC-World's Worst Cacher]

It is permissable as long as the coin otherwise conforms to Groundspeaks policies. There are a few examples of this:

 

- Many reigonal tourism coins such as Mt. Hood.

- Delorme has done three coins

- Garmin has done some others

- There is a Scion car coin

 

I am sure there are others.

[+Renegade Knight]

I was wondering, is it allowed for a company to make a geocoin and distribute it in caches for the sole purpose of promoting their business?

 

Yes it is. Some comments.

1) If you want it trackable on this site it will need to conform to the posted guidelines that Droo linked.

2) If you want it to be a geocoin it should relate to caching in some way. For many that's entirly the tracking. If you don't want to track it or can't because of a conflict with the tracking policy and your coin isn't related to caching it's not a geocoin. It's just a token.

3) If you as a cacher are utterly inseperable from your business and the promotion of it and that's your signature item, it may be a geocoin anyway.

[+piema]

Thank all of you for your help.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Thank all of you for your help.

Now that the technical question is answered...a little advice...If you go forward, keep in mind that the design will have a great impact on how the coin is received. Try to keep it from looking like just an advertisement, and do something fun and artistic with it. I'm sure some of the well known designers here can help you with that more than the samesman at whatever "Promotional Items" company you are working with. Good luck, It will be fun to see what you come up with. If you're looking strictly for the promotional benefit, wooden nickels are a cheap way to go, and usually well received, even if not specifically related to Caching. I've purchased several "Lots" from collectors of promotional wooden nickels, and place each one in a little baggie, they are picked up pretty quickly be Cachers to put in their signature item collections.

 

Another option is to tie a game in with your coins, it will be a lot more desirable.

Edited November 19, 2009 by WRITE SHOP ROBERT

[haysonics]

Now that the technical question is answered...a little advice...If you go forward, keep in mind that the design will have a great impact on how the coin is received. Try to keep it from looking like just an advertisement, and do something fun and artistic with it. I'm sure some of the well known designers here can help you with that more than the samesman at whatever "Promotional Items" company you are working with. Good luck, It will be fun to see what you come up with. If you're looking strictly for the promotional benefit, wooden nickels are a cheap way to go, and usually well received, even if not specifically related to Caching. I've purchased several "Lots" from collectors of promotional wooden nickels, and place each one in a little baggie, they are picked up pretty quickly be Cachers to put in their signature item collections.

 

Another option is to tie a game in with your coins, it will be a lot more desirable.

Edited November 19, 2009 by haysonics

[avroair]

I was wondering, is it allowed for a company to make a geocoin and distribute it in caches for the sole purpose of promoting their business?

 

Yes, Garmin did it.