Internet Marketing Genius?

Ben Padnos, an internet entrepreneur from Southern California, has put one of Barry Bonds' famous home run balls up for public vote. Now, this isn't a new concept--it's not even a new concept this week. Marc Ecko, the wealthy hip-hop fashion/pop culture guy, is putting the fate of the record-breaking 756 ball to a fan tally as well.

But Padnos has gotten creative with it. He spent far less money ($186,750) but could make a profit on two levels. 1) He's also getting a wave of publicity and 2) not only can you vote on whether Padnos and his group of investors should give the ball to the Hall of Fame or blow it up, you can help them pay for it.

They're offering teeny tiny ad spaces (mouse over and it turns into a little larger message) for $200 each. In return, they will put a link to your internet site on the square (or squares if you buy several) where your logo and web address pops up--hopefully bringing some traffic to you. They need to sell 1000 squares to make anything. So far, it's slow going but the site just went live today.

Hey, Padnos knows the internet--he knows how to market--and hopefully his site, called EndTheDebate.com, will get millions of hits over the next few weeks. Call me a sucker. We bought one. We'd love to see some of those folks visit our site.

Padnos is also offering what he says will be a nice prize to someone who takes the plunge.

You can also watch the vote totals in progress, unlike the site set up by Ecko who won Bonds' 756th homer for $752,467 last weekend. Fans at EndTheDebate.com can vote once a day and it will be interesting to see if the ad space fills up and Padnos & company can make a little back on their investment.