Modernista Puts a Price on Ideas -- and Gets $45

Agency Auctions off 12-Pack of Beer-Commercial Scripts on EBay

Posted by Rupal Parekh on 07.02.09 @ 05:01 PM

What's with agencies and eBay these days? For nearly as much money as a case of suds, Modernista used the site yesterday to auction off a pack of 12 commercial scripts suitable for a beer marketer.

The winning bid -- which came in at $45 -- is, um, lower than what the agency presumably hoped to bring to the bank for its hard-earned ideas. The bidding began at $12.

But hey, it's a recession right?

A Modernista spokeswoman declined to identify the winning bidder, who could be anyone from Anheuser-Busch to an agency creative.

But said person now has in his/her possession 12 scripts for 30-second spots that were written by the Modernista team and approved by the agency's co-founders, Lance Jensen and Gary Koepke.

The thinking behind it? "We know how hard it can be to come up with good ideas on a tight schedule, and we don't currently have a beer account, so we thought these might serve as a little inspiration for someone who's looking at a blank page right now," said Lance Jensen in a statement.

It remains to be seen whether the scripts will ever see the light of HDTV. For one, who knows if they are any good, and two, production costs aren't part of the deal. But if you see a 30-second spot promoting beer in which "humor is the central theme," it just might be from Modernista.

Kinda cute how agencies seem to be sharing ideas these days. An eBay auction was utilized by Crispin Porter & Bogusky recently to help its interns make a little extra cash this summer, while earlier this week Crispin unveiled a new website that takes a cue from Modernista's.