This summer I was selected to intern at one of the hottest Creative Shops in the world, on arrival CP+B had a plan for us, to do something that makes people say “WTF are you kidding?” the answer is no. They never are, and that’s what’s killer about this place, nothing is ever routine and nothing is ever the same. Auctioned off we were, $17,655 dollars to be exact. Roughly about $465 each, I’m one of about 35 interns working on Brammo this summer, in exchange Brammo wil recieve my 3 months of creative services as an Intern Art Director.

So far it’s been going great and I’m on my way to do it the CP+B way and make you guys by like “WTF are you kidding me”, and I will say no, no I’m not. So far for the jest of it. For further info on how the bidding worked check this out.

Bidding $17,655 On eBay, Brammo Wins An Ad Campaign

By Ty McMahan

Nearly every issue of VentureWire mentions a start-up raising venture capital and using a portion of that funding for sales and marketing. Getting the word out about a new product is an important part of a young company’s success.

But it ain’t cheap. And in times when it’s increasingly important for a start-up to run lean, marketing budgets are likely to take a hit.

Brammo

Brammo Inc. is one of those companies that needs to generate some buzz. In July, Ashland, Ore.-based Brammo will launch the Enertia, an all-electric, modern take on a cafe racer-style motorcycle. The bike will first go through a trial sales test in West Coast area Best Buy stores, as the company counts the retailer’s venture arm Best Buy Capital as a shareholder.

“We’ve got some ideas about how to go after our marketing and we want to be cost effective and creative,” Chief Executive Craig Bramscher said. “Best Buy obviously has a lot of people coming through their doors, but we want them to really understand electric vehicles.”

So where can a young company find a great deal on an advertising campaign? Auction site eBay, of course.

Last month, advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which has been behind popular campaigns for Burger King, Microsoft and Volkswagen in recent years, allowed their 40 summer interns to auction their services on eBay as a way to earn some extra cash beyond minimum wage. By the time the auction ended on Wednesday, the interns received 44 bids, with Brammo the winner for $17,655.

“I bid once and forgot about it,” Bramscher said. “Then I got an email reminder. I had forgotten that the auction was expiring. I placed a bid with about 30 seconds left and we were fortunate to win.”

Bramscher said he held his first meeting with Crispin Porter + Bogusky on Monday. He’s looking for a disruptive campaign, heavy on social media. Brammo’s internal marketing efforts have already been Web 2.0 savvy. The home page features a feed of Brammo blog mentions, Google News mentions and a Twitter stream, while its contact page includes a Google Map and the bios of executive team members are all Diggable.

“As a start-up we’re trying to find ways to be creative,” Bramscher said. “Getting to mind-share 40 people well connected in social media will be great.”

Bramscher thinks a summer working on Brammo ads is also a great opportunity for the interns. “They can say ‘What did I do this summer? I built a global brand.’ That’s pretty cool.”

Bramscher said he’s confident that Crispin Porter + Bogusky has selected interns that will produce agency quality ideas. And, for that, he said the price was right.

“We did some simple math and we’re paying less than a buck an hour,” Bramscher said. “It’s quite a bit cheaper.”

Below is video of Brammo announcing the Enertia electric motorcyle. The clip has already received more than 55,000 views on YouTube.

What does the rider look like for the Enertia? That’s what we’re working on, by prepping a wardrobe for a Brammo shoot.

Here they are, an inside scoop of what Brammo’s directions are looking like. Overall, it’s a first crack at it and will most likely evolve.

For those unfamiliar with what Brammo is (cough, revolutionary electric motorcycle company) check them out at Brammo.com or follow my tweets at @eliforshort.