About The Last Billboard

The Concept

The Last Billboard is a digital experiment exploring scarcity, competition, and permanence in advertising. Unlike traditional billboards that rotate content or exist in multiple locations, there is only one Last Billboard, and it will only display once.

How It Works

  1. Create an Account: Sign in with your email using a magic link. No passwords required.
  2. Place Your Bid: Pick your brand name, upload an image, set a link, and choose a bid amount. The minimum bid is CHF 50.
  3. Your Slot Grows Logarithmically: The size of your advertising slot grows with your bid, but logarithmically — so latecomers stay visible and big spenders can't crowd everyone out.
  4. Compete for Space: Anyone can take your slot by bidding at least +20% over the current price (or CHF 10 more, whichever is higher).
  5. Get a Premium Refund: When you are outbid, you receive your stake back plus 60% of the overbid as a refund. Cash you paid comes back as cash; anything beyond that is credited to your account as Credits.
  6. The Freeze: When the countdown ends, the billboard freezes forever in its final state.

The Freeze

When the countdown reaches zero, the billboard enters a permanent, frozen state.

No more changes can be made. The final state becomes a permanent digital artifact, preserved as a snapshot of this unique moment in advertising history.

Technical Specifications

Block size: relative to your bid, logarithmically across all active bids
Maximum Image Size: 10 MB
Supported Formats: PNG, JPEG, WebP

Pricing & Refunds

minimum bidCHF 50
minimum overbid+20% / CHF 10
premium split (you / platform)60% / 40%
refund cap3× P₀
Example
Old owner paid CHF 500 in cash. New bid: CHF 600. The overbid premium of CHF 100 is split 60/40 — so the old owner receives CHF 560 in total (CHF 500 stake + CHF 60 premium). Since CHF 560 ≤ the CHF 500 cash already paid + a CHF 60 credits buffer, the owner gets CHF 500 back to their card and CHF 60 as Credits.

Credits

Credits are an internal store of value, earned through outbid premiums or bought as packages. They keep the loop alive — value stays in the system instead of leaving as small cash payouts.

  • Pay up to 50% of any slot price with Credits (the rest in cash).
  • Protect your own slot from being outbid for a chosen duration.
  • Boost your slot's visibility on the map and tickertape.

Credits are closed-loop: they cannot be exchanged for cash or transferred to other users.

Power-ups

Slot Protection

Spend 3 credits per hour to lock your slot against overbids. Maximum 7 days per ownership. Protection ends automatically when the slot changes owner.

Slot Boost

Highlight your slot for 24 hours: Map highlight 12 credits, Tickertape feature 8 credits. Boosts can stack and run side-by-side.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I'm outbid?

You get your original stake back plus 60% of the overbid premium. The cash portion of your refund is capped at the cash you actually paid in; anything above that lands in your account as Credits. The total refund cannot exceed 3× your original price.

Can I update my slot after bidding?

No. Once placed, bids are immutable. To change image, link, or name, place a new bid that outbids your current slot.

How do Credits work when I bid?

When you place a bid, you can pay up to 50% of the price with your Credits. The remainder is charged to your card via Stripe. Credits are deducted only after the cash payment succeeds.

How does Slot Protection work?

While protection is active, no one can outbid your slot. You choose the duration when activating, up to 7 days per ownership. Protection ends the moment the slot changes hands.

What happens after the freeze?

The billboard becomes permanent and unchangeable. All slot links remain clickable, but no new bids, protections, or boosts can be placed.

What content is prohibited?

Pornography, violence, hate speech, malware, copyright violations, and illegal content are strictly prohibited. Violating slots will be removed.

Is my payment secure?

Yes. All payments are processed through Stripe, a PCI-compliant payment processor. We never store your credit card information.

Why This Matters

In an age of infinite digital space and ephemeral content, The Last Billboard brings back the concept of scarcity and permanence. It asks: what would you say if you knew it would be preserved forever? What would you be willing to pay for truly lasting visibility?
claim your spot