Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos • Hacker News Board

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#11

Post by uptown » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 3:58 AM UTC

Animats wrote: post #2

For years, I've been expecting someone to come out with free printers. Every once in a while, they print an ad. Nobody seems to have done this. Instead, there are plenty of free printer deals; all you have to pay for is the overpriced ink.

They're called fax machines. Virtually free, and everyday you'll get a couple random ads faxed to you whether you want 'em or not.

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#12

Post by uptown » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 4:00 AM UTC

"Unfortunately printing is so expensive, complicated and time consuming most of us can’t be bothered to do it even though we know we should."

Not sure about anywhere else on the planet, but prints are pretty cheap at my local 1 hour photo place.

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#13

Post by dsacco » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 4:16 AM UTC

I'm disappointed the Sandwich Video isn't there. It's a much better quick introduction.

You can see it on the Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1306413684/flag-the-app...

(I'm not affiliated with fl.ag at all.)

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#14

Post by joedevon » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 8:36 AM UTC

I can't believe this insane idea has made Hacker News most popular. I heard the pitch in person a couple months ago and thought they were fantasizing.

So now it's trending. Either I'm the stupid one, or the upvoters are. Most probably it's me. LOL.

Good for the founders.

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#15

Post by wodenokoto » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 9:44 AM UTC

joedevon wrote: post #14

I can't believe this insane idea has made Hacker News most popular. I heard the pitch in person a couple months ago and thought they were fantasizing. So now it's trending. Either I'm the stupid one, or the upvoters are. Most probably it's me. LOL. Good for the founders.

Care to elaborate what is stupid about it?

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#16

Post by amolgupta » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 9:54 AM UTC

A user can stick the picture on a wall or on a scrapebook or even add it to his album and never look at the advertisement ever.

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#17

Post by Danieru » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 10:34 AM UTC

wodenokoto wrote: post #15

joedevon wrote: post #14

I can't believe this insane idea has made Hacker News most popular. I heard the pitch in person a couple months ago and thought they were fantasizing. So now it's trending. Either I'm the stupid one, or the upvoters are. Most probably it's me. LOL. Good for the founders.

Care to elaborate what is stupid about it?

The idea relies on magazine like ad rates. Yet these ads have neither the tracking appeal of online ads nor the demographic targeting of print ads.

The hard part of this entire business model is getting advertisers, yet they've left that as the last step to test.

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#18

Post by djhworld » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 11:11 AM UTC

"On July 1st 1885, the day the service was introduced, sending a first-class letter cost 2¢. 129 years later Flag can print and deliver your ads by first class mail, for just 1¢. That’s progress."

Progress in what? Advertising or postal delivery?

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#19

Post by psykovsky » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 11:46 AM UTC

uptown wrote: post #11

Animats wrote: post #2

For years, I've been expecting someone to come out with free printers. Every once in a while, they print an ad. Nobody seems to have done this. Instead, there are plenty of free printer deals; all you have to pay for is the overpriced ink.

They're called fax machines. Virtually free, and everyday you'll get a couple random ads faxed to you whether you want 'em or not.

Spax?

Re: Flag – Print ads on the back of people’s free photos

#20

Post by jeanbebe » Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 12:48 PM UTC

Danieru wrote: post #17

wodenokoto wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Care to elaborate what is stupid about it?

The idea relies on magazine like ad rates. Yet these ads have neither the tracking appeal of online ads nor the demographic targeting of print ads. The hard part of this entire business model is getting advertisers, yet they've left that as the last step to test.

Pictures don't lack demographic targeting. You can make a lot of demographic assumptions from the content inside of a picture.

Example: facial recognition says that this blob with eyes in the photo is a child. Flag may have signed up Babies R Us as an advertiser. Based on the notion that it's a baby on the front of the photo the back as should be for formula, college funds, or diapers.

The tricky part is building up the tooling to automate that process. But hey, most of that exists in the wild already.