Looking for a quirky idea to become a marketing goldmine?
Try some of these.
From $1 to $66,795: How a Quirky T-Shirt Idea Became a Marketing Goldmine
In 2008, Jason Sadler turned one of the strangest marketing stunts of the decade into a six-figure business. The pitch? Pay him to wear your company’s T-shirt for a day, and he’d promote it online. Day one cost $1. Day two cost $2. Day three cost $3. By December 31, the price was $365.
It sounds like a joke. But that “joke” made him $66,795 in year one—and later grew into a half-million-dollar venture.
Why It Worked
- Scarcity & Urgency
Every day that passed, the price went up. Brands knew if they hesitated, the deal would slip away. - Novelty & Humor
Ads on T-shirts weren’t new. But the way he packaged it—quirky, transparent, almost tongue-in-cheek—was impossible to ignore. - Social Media Leverage
Sadler didn’t just wear the shirt—he amplified it. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… each sponsor got exposure far beyond a guy in cotton. - Radical Transparency
The calendar was public and everyone knew what it cost. That honesty built credibility amid constant hype.
The Results
By 2010, Sadler had scaled his idea with more “human billboards” and a steeper pricing ladder. Annual revenue? Roughly $500,000. All from what looked like a stunt—but was really a masterclass in unconventional marketing.
The Takeaway for Marketers
You don’t need a massive ad budget. You need an angle.
- Use scarcity. Tiered or time-based pricing creates urgency.
- Leverage authenticity. Quirky > polished when you want attention.
- Be transparent. Clear offers build trust.
- Think sideways. The ideas that sound too weird to work are often the ones that break through the noise.
Jason Sadler didn’t just sell ad space—he sold a story people wanted to follow. That’s the real power of unconventional marketing.
And while Sadler’s stunt belongs to 2008, the principle behind it hasn’t aged a day. The platforms have changed, the audiences have shifted, but the psychology is identical. Scarcity still drives urgency. Novelty still grabs attention. Transparency still builds trust.
Which raises the real question: How would you pull off a $1 T-shirt stunt today—in a world of TikTok feeds, NFTs, and micro-influencers?
How to Hack Today’s Platforms with the Same Simple Formula
Jason Sadler’s idea worked because it was fresh, funny, and ridiculously simple. But if you tried to repeat it now, it might feel dated. The trick is to apply the same principles—scarcity, novelty, transparency—inside today’s platforms. Here’s how:
- The TikTok Day-Rate Challenge
Launch a “Day Sponsorship Challenge” on TikTok. Day one costs $1, day two costs $2, and so on. Each day you film a short, entertaining TikTok featuring the sponsor’s brand in creative ways—dances, skits, duets. Pair it with a running countdown so followers see the price rise in real time.
Why it works: TikTok thrives on episodic content and suspense. Viewers want to see “who’s sponsoring today,” and sponsors get daily micro-ads.
There’s some great prompts for creating TikTok videos here.
- The NFT Sponsorship Calendar
Mint a 365-day calendar as NFTs. Each token represents one day where a brand or individual owns your content placement—whether that’s a shoutout in your newsletter, podcast, or video. As days sell out, the scarcity drives up value, and sponsors can even resell their day on secondary markets.
Why it works: It’s part sponsorship, part collectible. Plus, transparency is baked in—the blockchain becomes the public pricing ladder.
- The Micro-Influencer Relay
Instead of one person, create a relay of micro-influencers. Each influencer gets assigned a “day” to post branded content, with the daily cost escalating. The brand gets 365 influencers for one campaign, and the influencers get exposure from being part of the relay.
Why it works: Distributed reach across niches, while keeping the escalating, scarcity-based pricing model.
- The Interactive Newsletter Shoutout
Run a year-long email campaign where each day’s sponsor gets a playful, featured shoutout in your newsletter. Start at $1 and scale up. Add quirky, creative ad copy (like “This email is brought to you by Day 72’s sponsor…”) to keep readers engaged.
Why it works: Email is intimate and predictable. Readers start looking forward to the daily sponsor reveal.
- The Live Stream Countdown
Host a year-long live stream series (Twitch, YouTube Live, TikTok Live) where each episode features that day’s sponsor. Start with $1 on day one, scale up daily. Build in bonus unlocks—milestones that trigger giveaways or stunts.
Why it works: Combines real-time engagement with built-in scarcity. Fans tune in for the entertainment, brands buy in for the exposure.
The Lesson for 2025 and Beyond:
Sadler’s genius wasn’t the T-shirts—it was the framework. Scarcity + novelty + transparency = attention + revenue. Whether it’s TikTok, NFTs, micro-influencers, or live streams, the model is timeless. The platform is just the stage.
