'Participant' marketing idea going for U.S. patent

A filmmaker creates a presentation for a nonprofit group and gets corporate sponsors for the project, making a potentially costly effort for the organization revenue neutral -- or even profitable.

The nonprofit and corporate sponsors get their diverse messages to their target audience, and viewers get coupons and discounts from the sponsors.

It may sound simple, but Chattanoogan John Disterdick has a business method patent pending on the approach, which he calls participation marketing. He said his company, Philadelphia Film LLC, has participation productions in the works and is pitching several more.

"It's the fastest growing area of patent law," said Mr. Disterdick, whose company specializes in multimedia presentations. "Nonprofits have never been able to do this at no cost. It's connecting brands with causes -- putting multiple companies together with a brand and creating relationships with the viewer," he said.

Andrew Huffman, Philadelphia Film's patent attorney, said his first reaction to the program was not unlike others he saw.

"I thought, 'Why's nobody done this?'" he said.

"Lots of inventions -- interval windshield wipers, for instance -- seem obvious the first time you see them, but somebody had to think of it," he said.

Mr. Disterdick said his company has proposed a project on conserving wetlands to Ducks Unlimited. Should Ducks bite on the deal, the two organizations would recruit participant companies -- perhaps Winchester rifle and Bass Pro Shops, he said -- that would underwrite the production in exchange for exposure in it.

He said Philadelphia Film's finished production, including discounts and coupons from the Participants, would be put on disc and sent to thousands of Ducks members, who are interested in the wetlands message and naturally inclined to buy Winchester and Bass Pro products.

The cost to Ducks would come to little or nothing, he said.

Distribution of revenues will vary on a case-by-case basis, Mr. Disterdick said. But in most instances, the revenues realized from the sales of the discs will be split among the nonprofit, Philadelphia Film and the Participants.

"All three parties get extreme benefits," he said. "The nonprofit and business are excited because they're getting their messages to the exact audience they want. The nonprofit has no cost, and the viewer gets the information, discounts and coupons.

"And there's cross-promotion potential -- say Ford (Motor Co.) and Starbucks are participants in a presentation. The discs will allow Ford to reach Starbucks' audience and vice versa," said Mr. Disterdick.

A participants' cost would vary, he said, according to how much exposure it wants on the disc, up to and including logo placement and/or exclusivity.

Philadelphia Film is working on a project for Hope of Chattanooga, a nonprofit devoted to Christian community development. Sharyl Griggs, Hope's development coordinator, said the ministry wants to tout its Urban Ministry Teams, a program by which mission teams come to Chattanooga from various churches to spend a week in urban, cross-cultural ministry.

Mrs. Griggs said once the presentation is finished and put on discs, those discs will be sent to pastors and youth ministers. Covenant Transport, a Chattanooga-based trucking company, has committed to be a partner, she said.

"Depending on response from the churches, we could realize $30,000 or more" as a result of the project, she said.