“The Rent is Too Damn High!” Guy Sells Out to Penny Auction Site

What a perfect and timely post for this November 2nd Election Day. Everyone should know who “The Rent is Too Damn High” guy is… it’s Jimmy McMillan of course, the candidate running for governor of New York. Put aside any politics and frustrations for the economy, Jimmy McMillan knows how to gain attention and with that attention comes money and power… potentially more than enough money to pay for his rent, which I’m sure is “Too Damn High!”.

Let’s quickly jump to another topic… Penny Auction sites, which are all of the buzz lately. Every place you used to see Acai and other rebill type advertisements, you now see these auction type ad spots filled with “Apple iPod Penny Auctions… Only $1.74” type of ads. These campaigns pay anywhere from $25 to $100 per sign up to affiliates, and are quite the buzz among the affiliate networks. A post was actually released yesterday about how one of these largest auction sites, SwipeAuctions is currently ceasing operations. It’s no surprise, as these ad campaigns are being promoted the same way the rebills and diet pills were, and it’s only a matter of time before lawyers, FTC and complaints start piling up and action has to be taken.

Back to Jimmy McMillan… he just released his own YouTube video of him pushing BidHere.com, which is a penny auction site with the same basis as SwipeAuctions and many other sites. BidHere.com is running a promotion on November 2nd for Election Day called, “Pay Your Rent for Pennies Auction“, so who more fitting than Jimmy McMillan to provide an attention grabbing video? No one…

What’s the bigger attention grabber here? Penny Auctions going mainstream with a “celebrity-like” testimonial… or how awesome Jimmy McMillan is for coming out of no where with his “The Rent is Too Damn High” party and slogan and getting endorsements and even a doll made up of himself! Is Jimmy McMillan… the second coming of Billy Mays? Probably not… but he does have America’s attention for a few moments, let’s see where it goes!

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21 Comments

  2. As soon as I saw the title to this post, I said to myself….."I wonder if Zac has seen the Jimmy McMillan doll". Sure enough there it is. I have never heard of this guy until about a week ago. All of the sudden he is everywhere! I say he has great marketing skills to be able to market himself this well. Just think what he could do with a business.

    Another thought. Being able to market yourself or any product like this can generate lots of $$$ fast. Even if the product alone is just a so so product, with the right marketing it could soar beyond any ones expectations!

    I applaud him! Job well done. Now to read up and find out more about him and his goals once and if he wins the election. 😀
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    1. It's all about gaining attention and branding. I'm sure if he didn't have that wicked beard he wouldn't have half the success he has had in the past month.

    2. Complete agree, those self marketing skills are amazing. Same here have not hear of this guy till recently. I've seen type of people like this. There is one guy who sells mattresses, he has most annoying ad ever, but when I drove past his house one day I realized how well his commercial work.

  3. I can't believe I am saying this… And i'm not even promoting a penny auction site for my own profit… But I actively participate in penny auctions and I love them. If used wisely, with strategies, you can get some great stuff on them at a good deal. I think everyone is sooo darn sue happy!

    1. I haven't tried them yet, but just watching the auctions count down and the prices go up a few pennies is quite exciting. Do follow up with any advice or post entries on your penny auction success!

  4. I agree, it's just about politics, and attention grabbing… Does he really care about people paying (or not) their rent?
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    1. A ton of reports came out saying that Jimmy McMillan hasn't paid his own rent in years! I'm sure he will move on to other things and forget about his cause… while keeping his "The Rent is Too Damn High" key phrase.

  5. Bidhere is stoked! That just gave them some good credibility
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  6. Since I'm not American I am not familiar with Jimmy McMillan. He seems like quite the character though. And yes penny auction sites are extremely popular these days. We actually have similar auctions on our website too.

  8. In fact, you can get great deals on iPods, Digital Cameras and Video Game Systems with only a handful of bids and a few hours of your time…but only if you know the strategies the top.

  9. That's pretty funny, Zac; I'm still not buying! By the way, I tried to retweet using the thing under your post & it freaked when it went to Twitter, throwing up some odd error message. I ended up copying & pasting it separately instead. And, for those who don't live in NY, Jimmy ended up with 1% of the vote on election night.
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  11. If someone could bottle whatever it is that makes something like this go viral they would be rich in a day. Good post thanks for the info

  12. This is another example of how silly things are becoming. That guy is an idiot, and so is his party.

  14. I need knew before now about this person 🙂 but he is funny enough to watch the videos. Please post more articles regarding Internet Marketing and Lead Generation.
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  15. Saw this guy on auto tune the news on Youtube the other day. Shame he only ended up with 1% of the vote haha!

  16. The funniest moments in our politics is when a person who has nothing to lose (meaning they have no chance of winning) can be the most entertaining.
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