Can Porn and Mainstream Get Together/Will Models Do Mainstream?

I released v1 of my store, v2 is almost ready for spring. There are two big issues I need to work out before I launch though.

1
The photos: Should I take the pictures myself, or try to team up with one of the "big boys" in porn? Would it pay off to try to get the shirts on some of the hottest models in the adult industry for the catalog? I really want to bring adult and mainstream together in v2, and this would definately be a hot way to do it.
If you think that's a hot idea, who woud you suggest that I approach about it? Who are the nicest producers, with the hottest models, and might be interested in some mainstream exposure?

2
I'll probably be offering an affiliate program. Would you promote a mainstream GLBT affiliate program on your adult sites? Do you think you can upsell clothing and pride items from an adult site?


Thanks everyone for your continued help. I know this will eventually build into something I can be proud of, and I'll have a lot of people at GWW to thank for it.

I post something that actually has some small thing to do with the adult industry and everyone ignores it, go figure :p

What do I have to do to get everyone's opinion/advice on these two things?

Wag my dick at you??

I'd give it a try. Our luck with mainstream-ish programs hasn't been great - TLA doesn't do so hot through us (though their stats aren't too clear, which ... hmmm). If you are good with photographs and have a decent digital with good lighting, do it yourself. That's exclusive, quality content.

-doug

DJ,

Personally, i wouldnt worry about working with the big names so far as your store goes, at least at this early stage.

As for your question about models, i do think if you have a hot guy or two modelling the clothing that will work in your favor however, it may be best fr you to appraoch some of your friends and family to do the modelling, at least for the first few times.

After you have seen how well having a guy or gal wearing the clothing works, then go and look for a provider to do a couple of shoots for you but, bear in mind, that it could become costly so make sure that you have everything you want the models to wear ready for the provider so they can shoot as much as possible in one sitting :)

As for your affiliate program question, i definately think there is a place for mainstream programs to work on adult sites, the immediate thing that comes to mind is on warning page exit links ;)

Nice to see things moving in a positive direction for you to :thumbsup:

Regards,

Lee

Ok that gif is creepy lookin! why did i use attach file dammit lol

Thanks Lee, and I have to agree with you. I just got starry eyed at the idea of the hottest porn stars in my catalog. I do have some really hot friends who would look damn good in the catalog, and you are right they would be the easiest and most efficient way of producing catalog photos.

If I do it myself, I'm torn between trying to be creative with the shoots, or simple. Should it just be men and women wearing the shirts in front of white screen, or should I go all out and do themed shoots?

If I go with themed, they would match the shirts. Everything from a guy in underwear eating cerial and watching tv, to an old couple staring at an over the top drag queen. For example, I have City Boy and Country Boy shirts. I'd have the city boy in a coffee house or something, the country boy beside a tractor. Each shoot would have 3 main shots, so it would be something like on the tractor, off the tractor, wiping his face with his shirt lol. Is this lame? Should I stick with white screen?

One more question! Do porn producers usually keep a "wardrobe" on set? Would it be worth the effort to try to get my shirts in them? I would think getting one shirt on one model on one big site would be great long term promotion.

Keep it simple IMHO.

For white t-shirts, black backdrop, black undies and the white t-shirt.

For black t-shirts, white backdrop, white undies and the black t-shirt.

Your selling the products, not the models ;)

Regards,

Lee

I agree, simple showcases the shirts. The only reason I considered themed was to really grab people's attention, and since I'm selling the design on the shirt just as much as I'm selling the shirt, conveying a theme or message through the photography would be kind of cool.

You are making this really easy Lee :p

My surfers seem to have found a pretty comfortable slot for themselves and don't often venture outside of it, according to my referral stats. So mainstream hasn't been all that remarkable for me. Different sites have different traffic, though, and I'm sure there are a great many folks out there who'd do well with both adult and mainstream. I've spoken to adult site webmasters who make bank on Amazon referrals, so there seems to definitely be a place for mainstream with many adult sites.

And yeah I'll have to echo the comments others have made about goin' after big name pornstar models. Get some cute and yummy friends. New faces will be refreshing to the eyes of surfers and a lot easier for you to get ahold of and work with. Whereas something in my subconscious might make me feel inclined to buy Air Jordans cuz Jordan's name is on em, I'm not quite sure pornstars have that same degree of appeal. I'll buy a porn flick cuz Joe Fuckalot Porn Star is on the cover, but that doesn't necessarily translate to tshirts.

We at Boyfunk and 18West/Cuteboyvideos have occasionally done deals where we'll have our models wear promotional materials for other sites... I don't know about other producers.

One thing you'll find is that producers who are up on copyright law will be leery of having a model wear anything that's trademarked or otherwise identifiable with a specific brand... it can get the producer into hot water if the trademark or brand owner decides to press the issue. So you'd want to use only original materials that are your own design, and provide the producer with written permission to use the trademark/logo.

Another advantage of amateurs as opposed to "hot porn star" types - in my experience, a good photographer can get better results with an amateur. To be frank a lot of the porn star types might not know what to do with a pose if they're forced to wear clothes and not handle vulgar objects (look at Billy Zane's acting for example). You don't need to fly all over the country. Pick a good location. If you're lucky enough to live somewhere like L.A., you can do just about anything from scenes that look tropical to winter (yes, there is a ski resort in the mountains above LA). The setting isn't what the shoot is about - but it is the tone of the shot. This is what mainstream photographers do. I'd recommend trying some shots with the zoom on - that way you get the model in focus, shallow depth of field, can give crisp results. Shoot outdoors if you can in any case - studio lighting is great but a lot trickier to get professional results with than the sun (tip: light the background, not just the model, if you use studio lighting, and never use a simple on-camera flash unless your theme is dungeons).

-doug