We continue our series of articles on the non-traditional use of items such as, and in this article we will tell you how you can use them to promote your company or website.

Guerrilla advertising

This concept was coined by advertising creative Jay K. Levinson for small businesses. In short, Levinson's idea was to use a lot of cheap advertising media instead of a couple of expensive ones. Such carriers could be business cards, leaflets, graffiti on the walls - and even banknotes, which we will deal with today. There is nothing easier to get people to know about the existence of your company or website. You can either stamp your business name and phone number or your website address and stamp all banknotes that pass through your hands with it.

Is it possible to pay with such a bill?

Can. Inscriptions on money are considered minor damage, and such money must be accepted everywhere on the territory of the Russian Federation. They are accepted in banks, in stores, such money is easily accepted by counting machines and control devices for banknotes of ATMs and terminals. Provided, of course, that there are no other damages on the banknote that make it non-payment.

From the point of view of the law, for the willful defacement of banknotes... nothing threatens you. Once upon a time, money in our country was quite seriously considered as a possible advertising platform. In those days, they did not dare to allow such advertising by law, but there is also no direct ban on it. And the Central Bank of Russia is not at all against advertising prints on money.

This position is due to two main reasons. Firstly, from the point of view of the Central Bank, advertising on money is ineffective, since if a banknote thus "marked" gets into the bank, the latter is obliged to replace it as a dilapidated one.

Secondly, the search for the one who put the stamp, in order to bring him to justice, is ineffective at all. Even if the advertiser is discovered (having spent disproportionately more money on this than on reissuing old banknotes), it will still be necessary to prove that it was he who put the stamp.

And what, does it work?

And how! Storublevka lives for about six months and during this time manages to change an average of 200 owners. Two hundred rubles - an audience of 400 people, three hundred rubles - 600 people will see your ad.

Of course, we are simplifying the process somewhat - if everything were so simple, people would not order expensive advertising at all. But there is efficiency, and tangible - especially in small towns, where the circulation of banknotes is limited.

In addition, it is convenient - instead of running around with a can of paint and looking for free fences, you can not leave the office. You can order prints online, and when the next banknote arrives, you - bang - and let it travel with your advertisement.

Will serious firms do this?

Imagine it is. Even very large firms are advertised on money, for example, the well-known German automaker Volkswagen and the leading European mobile operator Vodafone. Moreover, their advertising departments showed real creativity and applied advertising drawings to the banknotes, which played on the pattern on the banknote itself.

This is the European Union, where, as you know, laws guard commercial interests, but this is also done in Ukraine, and in Russia, too, it has recently become a trend to apply advertising to money. And the cheapest way to do this is with seals and stamps.

Political propaganda to the masses. On banknotes. Enterprising residents of the region come up with an original way to spread their ideas, as well as advertising. So, in Shelekhov there were several cases when buyers did not quite understand what they were holding in their hands: one hundred rubles or an agitation leaflet. Is it legal to print money like this?

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These bills fell into the hands of absolutely politically neutral people. “I went to the store, picked up groceries and I see that a hundred rubles ... I saw that Ukraine, something with Russia,” says one of the buyers.

In Shelekhov, banknotes with inscriptions scattered at lightning speed. For example, one hundred rubles per day can change about 10 owners.

Experts assure that there are no limits or rules for many political agitators. This applies to both content and distribution methods. Fences, building facades, leaflets, and now banknotes are often used. "It could be some kind of idea. It could be both pro-government and oppositional. But the majority of residents who deal with money don't read much of what is written there," said Aleksey Petrov, a political scientist.

They are not read much, but they are actively used. Information on banknotes is written differently: from the inscriptions "buy bread" to calls for a healthy lifestyle. Advertising of saunas, real estate agencies, flower shops is no exception.

By the way, there have been similar cases in history. In Ukraine, the opposition of the Soviet government robbed a stagecoach with money. And they put stamps with quatrains on banknotes. "The commissars deceived me, they gave me a lot of money, and now you can't even buy a dog for these signs." Therefore, this incident can be considered in the same way. We can’t win, but we’re ready to show the figurine,” says Sergei Snarsky, an antiquary and numismatist.

History is a stubborn thing: then the idea of ​​​​printing on banknotes, as well as with riots, failed. The rebels were caught. And in our time, they say in the police, it is not easy to catch a bully who puts imprints on money. The print is a national team and anyone can buy it.

What to do with such money? It would seem obvious: such banknotes are damaged, which means they are subject to exchange and destruction. But it is not clear whether it is possible to print on money and whether responsibility for such improvisation is provided. On the one hand, the money is mine, and on the other hand, the image of the flag and coat of arms of the country is indivisible state property and is protected by law. "Who will do this? The treasury should be interested in it. That is, there should be a fairly large amount. Or something related to illegal business. This also needs to be proven, so this is a shot from a cannon at sparrows," said Tatyana Oborotova, Chairman of the October Bar Association of the Irkutsk Region.

As the specialists of the Central Bank explained to us in a written response: banknotes with more than two extraneous signs are considered damaged, but this does not make them insolvent. That is, you can safely pay with them in a store, a hairdresser, a pharmacy, and so on. Then they get to the bank, and financial institutions do not have the right to issue them. Such money of any denomination is withdrawn from circulation. In general, as practice shows, the fate of decorated, albeit securities, is short-lived.

The inscriptions on banknotes do NOT affect its validity in trade, so you can freely distribute socially oriented slogans among the general population.
In addition, it is possible to promote the site or something else. Ask for change in small bills and write the address/slogan on paper money.
The effectiveness of such advertising has not been studied, but it is possible to try as an option.
It is important not to overdo it with creativity!

What does the law say?
In the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, employees of the Department of Emission and Cash Operations answered questions.
— Has the Bank of Russia in its practice encountered cases of using money as advertising media?

- Despite the unique purpose of cash, individual citizens put advertising or private announcements on banknotes. This phenomenon became most widespread in the mid-90s of the last century, when domestic business was in its infancy. Currently, banknotes with advertising printed on them are extremely rare in practice.

- Does Russia provide for any liability in case of "misuse" of money? Is there such a responsibility?

- In our country, there is no liability for advertising, private announcements and campaign appeals on banknotes. In our opinion, the introduction of such liability will not give the desired effect.

Firstly, in order to apply sanctions to the bearer of banknotes containing extraneous inscriptions and stamps, it is necessary to prove that they were applied by the bearer himself and that such an action was intentional. And the costs of organizing such a check are incomparably high compared to the total amount of cash containing all kinds of inscriptions.

Secondly, advertising on banknotes itself is ineffective, since it is not able to reach the broad masses of the population: a banknote with extraneous inscriptions is immediately sorted into the category of dilapidated when it enters the Russian banking system and is not re-issued, and the geometric dimensions of the coin do not allow placing It has a pretty big ad on it.

In addition, the citizens themselves, when making cash payments, are extremely reluctant to accept damaged banknotes from other persons.

- Can the application of extraneous inscriptions affect the payment characteristics of banknotes or coins?

- In accordance with the current "Signs of solvency of banknotes and coins of the Bank of Russia", extraneous inscriptions and stamp imprints applied do not deprive banknotes and coins of the ability to act as a legal means of cash payment. The main criteria for the solvency of banknotes are their authenticity, the preservation by banknotes of at least 55% of the original area and the preservation by coins of the original image on the obverse and reverse. To exchange damaged banknotes in any way that meet these criteria, citizens can apply to credit organizations that provide cash services to the population.

Russian banks - bestial banks

Acceptance of old or damaged currency by banks is regulated by Instruction No. 136-I of the Bank of Russia dated September 16, 2010 “On the procedure for carrying out ... operations with foreign currency in cash ...” and Instruction of the Bank of Russia dated August 14, 2008 N 2054-U “On the procedure for conducting cash transactions with cash foreign currency in authorized banks in the territory of the Russian Federation. From these documents it follows that the banks themselves have the right to establish the rules for accepting damaged banknotes of foreign states.

Russian banks can slip dollar and other banknotes of foreign countries containing ink prints, seals, and inscriptions with a pen. Back such banknotes are accepted only by some banks and only with a commission (10-20%), because they are considered dilapidated. For example, Sberbank gave me several bills, and among them was a hundred dollar bill with an ink print. Such prints are usually placed outside of Russia for several purposes: to track the movement of banknotes, mark banknotes issued by your exchanger, etc. There, these bills are accepted back by banks and exchangers without problems. In our country, at the suggestion of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, banks have the right not to accept such banknotes at all or accept them with the above-mentioned commission. Here is such a bestial business in Russian banks at the suggestion of the main regulator of the country.

How to get rid of such ink prints (seals) on banknotes

All of the following applies only to banknotes of foreign countries. According to Russian laws, banknotes with the image of the Russian ruble are accepted by Russian banks with any contamination, if it is possible to verify the face value of the banknote.

If you are going to clean for the first time, do not experiment immediately on a large bill. Try first on the one that you don’t mind throwing away if it doesn’t work out. Paper and paint on all paper money of one country are approximately the same, so the result of the experiment on 10 rubles or $1 will be approximately the same as on 5000 rubles or $100.

A 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide is bought in a pharmacy. It is inexpensive. The edge of the banknote, which is contaminated, is placed in it for 12-18 hours. It is necessary to monitor and add hydrogen peroxide if it is absorbed or evaporated so that the stain is completely covered with the solution. Periodically, you can gently drive over the stain with a cotton swab, but do not press hard. After the specified amount of time, the ink spot will disappear. After cleaning, rinse the bill with cold water and dry.

How to get rid of other contaminants

• If the bill gets dirty in ordinary dirt, not in organics and not in paint, then you need to start with a regular soapy solution. Dissolve a little laundry soap in warm water and "bath" a banknote in the solution. Or, if the stain is relatively small, moisten it with warm water, and apply the soapy solution with a cotton swab or brush. Then, while still wet, gently wipe the banknote with a cloth or soft washcloth - without pressing, with sweeping movements. After washing, dry the bill.
• Pencil drawings and inscriptions, as well as light dirt, are cleaned off with a soft eraser. You won't be able to erase the money paint, don't worry.
• Rust stains are removed with a solution of citric acid in water (about 1:5, 1:6). If they occupy a large area, the bill can be completely immersed in the solution (in a flat plate), if rust occupies a small area along the edge of the paper, immerse only this part. The process takes several hours, do not rush. Not the fact that the rust will go away completely, but it will definitely become much less noticeable. Next - as usual, washing and drying.
• Clean gasoline copes with oil and other organic matter (sold in hardware stores and supermarket departments). The cleaning method is the same as in the case of ink stains: gently moisten the stain, wait, remove the dissolved ink. Then rinse with cold water and dry.
• Inscriptions with felt-tip pens or markers are displayed depending on the basis on which the felt-tip pen "works" - under this word, generally speaking, three completely different tools for writing are hidden. If the base is water (felt pen for paper) - use a soapy solution. If alcohol, you can try alcohol, but the likelihood of a successful result is low. If it's a whiteboard marker, a regular eraser might help.
• It is possible that as a result of cleaning the bill will look even worse than before - cleaning agents may not be suitable or you will not apply them correctly. It's okay: if less than 45% of the surface of the bill is damaged, it can be handed over to the bank, however, you will have to wait with the exchange - the bank will have to fully verify the authenticity of the bill, or you will have to pay a 10-20% commission to the bestial Russian bank.