Baby's birth to happen on Net!

A woman has sold the ad rights to her pregnancy, giving rights to tattoo its brand-name onto her belly.

A woman has sold the advertising rights to her pregnancy for USD 1,000 to an Internet company, giving exclusive rights to temporarily tattoo its brand-name onto her belly and broadcast the birth of her daughter live on the Internet.

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Asia Francis, 21, of St Louis, Missouri, whose baby is due any day, auctioned off the rights on eBay -becoming just the latest American to join the human billboard trend.

Twenty-one year old Andrew Fischer earned more than USD 37,000 last year by bearing a corporate logo on his forehead for a month. Michele Hutchison auctioned ad rights for her baby's clothing on eBay last year, seeking USD 1,000 for a months' lease.

For big companies, the idea is simple. Do something outrageous or strange, grab some media attention and cut through the clutter of advertising messages that bombards consumers.

"It's a well-held theory in the advertising industry that the average person on the street receives up to 3,000 branded messages a day," said Floyd Hayes, whose New York advertising firm, Cunning Communications, specializes in media stunts.

To stand out, Hayes' firm has parked cars on top of buildings and paid 40 college students to swarm Times Square in New York with logos on their faces.

The pregnant belly is prime real estate for auction because its likely to get people talking, Hayes said.

"If they were to buy the free coverage they will receive for this, it would cost them many times more the fee they paid the person," he said.