Once seen as a silent cry of rebellion, tattoos now posess a status so firmly mainstream that advertisers are using them to market everything from tires and shoes to wine and energy drinks. That has its downside, though. The more acceptable tattoos become, the more they lose their edginess - and their value as advertising.
"There is always an element of rebellion or rite of passage with these things," said David Crockett, assistant professor of marketing at the University of South Carolina.
"What makes them interesting is how the marketplace appropriates that rebelliousness and serves that back to you in the form of an energy drink."
It goes on to talk about how Dunlop offered a set of free tires to anyone who got their logo tattooed - and so far 98 people have done just that.
Shane also commented on the post yesterday in his characteristically modest and dryly funny fashion bringing up a range of interesting observations. I haven't seen the guy in Melbourne with the Paul Stanley star tattoo (presumably on his eye) - as a closet Kiss fan I feel as though I've missed out.
