The craziness is back! As of today (November 12) the auction to buy my last name for 2014 has officially kicked off. From now until December 12, companies will be able to bid on the rights to buy and change my last name for the second and final time. Click here to place a bid on BuyMyLastName.com.
So why do this again?
This may sound crazy, but it was just a ton of fun. I was able to take a really crappy family experience and turn it into something positive for myself and for Headsets.com. You can read the full press releasethey issued, but in summary they saw a $250,000 increase in sales (5x their investment!) directly after the auction, as well as a combined $6,000,000 (yes million) in earned media. I wrote a blog post earlier this year that shared some of the experiences of having a URL as a last name. There’s never a dull moment, and I love it. Hearing a hostess at a restaurant say “Mr HeadsetsDotCom, your table is ready” just never got old.
I’m hoping to find another company that’s just as awesome as Headsets.com to own my last name for 2014 and embrace this unique advertising opportunity. Here’s a quote directly from the CEO of Headsets.com about winning the bid for my last name in 2013:
“The publicity impact was beyond belief. Our recognition factor jumped right away and still lasts now. Best $45k I have ever spent!” – Mike Faith, CEO of Headsets.com
Jason, don’t you care about your last name?
Hey hypothetical person asking me a question, thanks for asking that. The answer is yes. I absolutely do care about my last name. But if you remember, the reason I sold my last name in the first place was because my Mom went through a divorce and I didn’t want to keep the last name “Sadler” either. It wasn’t a fun situation to be in, and choosing a last name is hard when you’ve had three last names throughout your life. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my life for anything, it’s just a tricky situation to not have a lineage to carry forward. But hey, when life gives you lemons, right?
For 2014 I will enjoy having another company own my last name, but in 2015 I have found a last name in my family tree that I’ll be taking. For now, I’m keeping my future identity a secret and focusing on 2014.
What’s new for 2014?
Just like I did with IWearYourShirt in the second year, I’ve added a few additions to keep things interesting. The first major difference between 2013 and this year’s offering is that I’m writing a book in 2014. The book will be titled “Creativity For Sale” and the company that wins the auction for my last name will be listed in the byline of the book. This book is my main focus in 2014, and I’m putting everything I have into it. The book will go on sale in May of 2014.
Secondly, I’ve added a Last Name Leaderboard to BuyMyLastName. The idea for the leaderboard came to me after watching so many people tweet, email, Facebook, text message, and call me with ideas for companies that should buy my last name. Well, now you have a place to submit your ideas for companies who should buy my last name. You can “Vote Up” any last name submissions on the leaderboard and you can tweet directly at the companies who have been submitted. Obviously if you want my last name to be Jason ZucchiniPants there probably won’t be a company to tweet at and encourage to bid, but hey, you never know?
Here’s to a fun auction!
Just like you, I can’t wait to watch and see what happens from now until December 12. I’d greatly appreciate any help in sharing BuyMyLastName.com on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, MySpace, or where ever else you share things online. If you’d like to talk to me about other ways you can help spread the word, feel free to shoot me an email.
Thanks everyone,
Jason soon-not-to-be HeadsetsDotCom