Christian de Rivel is CEO of SnoreStop, the California anti-snoring remedy maker that paid Andrew Fischer $37,375 by way of eBay to advertise on his forehead with a temporary tattoo. For a month the Omaha native walked about wearing the words SnoreStop on his forehead, in a promotional scheme that won media attention around the world and generated a half-million dollars worth of free publicity for SnoreStop. Now SnoreStop is launching a search for what it calls the next forehead person, and it’s offering another $37,375. But interest has yet to approach the level it reached when the initial stunt took place in January. In fact when Media Life called SnoreStop, the company's managers were tied up in a meeting called to come up with new ideas for rousting up some more interested among America's forehead owners. But de Rivel, who speaks with a heavy French accent, took time away from the meeting to talk about the success of the initial forehead ad, his ideal candidate for the next campaign, and why the forehead is the most noble part of the body.

How did you first come up with the forehead idea?

   In fact it wasn’t me. The first time everything came from Andrew, our first forehead billboard. I couldn’t resist the idea. He put his forehead space up for bid online. He had some media coverage, MSNBC, etc., and he was invited on "Good Morning America." 
   My daughter saw him, and knowing me, she knew I’d be interested. I was more than interested, I was very excited. I told her, I  said, "I need to win that bid."
   We had to pony up $35,000. But I knew that people would want to know who won and what was the ad on the forehead. And we got media coverage that went beyond my wildest imagination.
   I really fell from my chair when it went global. I freaked out. It was all over the globe, on TV and in newspapers. I was like, wow.
   And of course we could see the effects of this publicity. In the first week, sales on our web site increased 400 percent.
  In about three or four weeks, our retail sales grew about 50 percent over the year before. That lasted about five months. From February through June, we really tipped the 50 percent mark over last year, so it wasn’t just a flash in the pan.


So you made your money back from the initial ad?

   Oh I would say, factoring everything in like travel, it ended up costing us maybe double, but I’d say we got half a million dollars worth of free publicity. It was like over 10 times what we spent. 
  So what to do next? Keep the name of the brand out there. Researchers interviewed 1,600 people in Canada, and 60 percent said they heard of the forehead thing, especially in the 18-35 age group. Twenty-five percent said they were willing to wear a tattoo on their forehead for at least $5,000 a month.


What do you look for in a forehead? Is there a particular shape that works better? A hair color? Does one need a clear complexion?

   For me, it’s trying to find a way to single out the name SnoreStop. When Andrew came up to me with the idea I said "That’s new, that’s fresh."
   The problem with Andrew was that he wasn't a user of the product, but since it was his idea I had to go with him. He was not my target demographic, as a 20-year old kid from Omaha.
    This time I’ll put myself in the driver’s seat and I can choose someone more tied to who we want to reach. A mature, 30-plus couple would be the best for us to wear the tattoo. Because then we can get their story, their testimonials about snoring. It's a better tie-in with what the product is for.


Why the forehead as opposed to, say, an arm, leg or midriff (assuming it's summer)?

   I think the forehead is the most noble part of the body. It protects the brain. It’s the highest part of the body, so people will look at it more than other parts. When you look at someone, you look at their head. 
   For me the forehead was good, and I wanted to stick with it


How many words can you fit on the forehead? Does a bigger forehead size give a potential human billboard an advantage?

   No, it’s really the character of the person. 
   It’s not like bigger is better, no. It’s really who would make a good consumer for our product as a spokesperson. There’s always a lot of parameters. The ability to interact with people is important, of course.


What's the most unusual thing someone offered to advertise on?

   Two people wanted to walk across America for months at a time to raise awareness for paralyzed people.
   I liked the idea very much. I wanted to do it, but we did a background check and there were reasons why with that guy that we couldn’t do it. But I really liked the concept.


What kind of reaction did Andrew get to his forehead? Did people stop him on the street and talk to him? Were there any problems at his workplace? 

   People ask me the same question about me. They say, 'would you wear a tattoo on your head?'
   I did it just to experience what type of reaction he got. I put one on my head for four days straight and went to a trade function. For three days in a row I met everyone face to face with a tattoo on my forehead. I went on vacation in Tahoe, I went to New York. 
   It’s unbelievable. People come up to me and asked, “Are you the one?”
   I told them no, I was the one who wrote the check. At a trade function in Houston, one Japanese guy looked at me and asked me if I knew I had something on my forehead, like I was drunk and somebody put something on it.
   Women would come up to me and say their husbands need SnoreStop. 
   I’ve told guys it’s the perfect icebreaker, women will come up to you and they will do all the talking.

Does the ad stay on around the clock?

   When I did it I put a shower cap on my head to keep it nice and shiny. If you protect it, it doesn’t go away.