Marketing and growth notes

Ideas from the meeting with David (The Road), 6 November 2026, kept here so we don't lose them. Nothing on this page is built yet unless it says so. The product changes from the same meeting (16+ with guardian consent, optional measurements, skin tone / casting look, Lists, Yes / Maybe / Pass) are in the demo portal.

What the portal is (David, 11 November 2026)

David's written notes after the meeting set the scope:

• A scouting tool, not a management system. Agencies still need tools like Mediaslide or Syngency to run their models, so never pitch the portal as a replacement for them. Pitch it as the way to find and screen new talent, which is valuable on its own.
• Applicants' photos and data stay inside the agencies. They can be shown to several agencies, with the model's (or guardian's) consent, but never to the public or anyone outside the agencies. In the demo the client view of a List now only shows people already signed with The Road.
• Signing happens outside the portal. Once an agency wants to represent someone, the contract, image rights and any permits for minors go through the agency's own process. The portal only records that the person signed, which takes them out of the pool. Building contracts or bookings in would be a far bigger project against well-established competitors.

Why this matters

If every agency gets an exclusive 7-day window on the models who apply through its own link, before unclaimed models drop into the shared pool, agencies have a strong reason to put the portal on their website and Instagram bio. The portal becomes their free scouting intake tool, and the people they don't pick feed the shared multi-agency pool.

1. Private agency links and 7-day exclusivity (step 3)

David's worry: a link like theroadmodels.com/apply?agency=theroad invites people to type ?agency=elite, or to find a list of every agency on the portal.

Opaque link codes. Never put agency names or sequential numbers in links. Each agency gets one or more random, unguessable codes stored in an agency_links table, one per channel, for example:

• The Road's website: theroadmodels.com/apply/x8k9p2m
• The Road's street QR stickers: theroadmodels.com/apply/q4v7n1z

Hide the code as soon as the page opens. The app reads the code, keeps it in sessionStorage, and uses window.history.replaceState() to change the visible address to a plain theroadmodels.com/apply. A model who copies or shares the address shares the generic link, never the agency's code. The page says "Official talent application" and never lists or lets people pick agencies.

Exclusivity rules (Supabase row-level security). Three columns on models:

For the first 7 days only source_agency_id can see the model. If that agency taps Yes (claim and contact) in time, the model stays with them, or their window is extended. If 7 days pass with Pass or no decision, the model appears in the shared pool for every paying agency.

How it relates to the demo: the demo already has a 7-day Premium first look and the Yes / Maybe / Pass buttons. Tapping Yes during the first-look week is shown as "claiming" the model. The link codes, the address clean-up and the per-agency visibility rules need real hosting (step 3).

2. Reaching 16 to 22 year olds: QR stickers and universities

A plain sticker that says "Interested in modelling?" with a QR code looks like a scam, especially to a 16-year-old and their parents. Stickers have to look legitimate.

Co-brand with The Road. Show a real agency name, the Instagram handle and a concrete offer.

• Bad: "Interested in modelling? Scan here."
• Good: "THE ROAD MODELS · Open Street Casting (Madrid 2026). Buscamos nuevas caras (16+ años) para campañas y moda. No se requiere experiencia. Escanea para subir 4 fotos desde tu móvil." Add @theroadmodels.

One QR code per place. Use a different link per sticker batch, for example .../apply/stk-malasana, .../apply/stk-ucm, .../apply/stk-ied (as opaque codes, see above), so the Insights tab shows which neighbourhoods and campuses actually lead to completed applications. The demo's "Where they came from" chart is where these would show up.

Where to put them

• Creative university campuses: IED Madrid, Complutense (Bellas Artes), TAI, Carlos III, the Politécnica fashion and design buildings.
• Places young people pass or hang out: Malasaña, Tribunal, Moncloa, Chueca, the skate parks at Madrid Río.
• Independent clothes shops, vintage shops (for example on Calle Velarde) and speciality coffee shops: ask to leave a small stack of heavy-card "Street Scout Cards" by the till.

Pair the stickers with TikTok and Instagram, which reach the same age group.

3. Open question: adding the portal to The Road's website

Not decided, nothing built. David's website is made by an external agency on WordPress, so any option needs their web team. Before choosing, check with David what he means:

• Models should only ever see the 4-step application form, never the database.
• Clients visiting The Road's site should only see curated, approved models, never raw submissions.

Options to discuss:

• A. Embed the application form. A route such as theroadmodels.com/embed/apply/<code> with no header or footer and a transparent background. Their web team pastes one responsive <iframe> on The Road's "Become a model" page. Every application through it is tagged with The Road's 7-day exclusivity. Probably the simplest for a WordPress site.
• B. Client gallery widget. Show one of The Road's Lists on their site (the demo already has a client view of a list) through an <iframe> or a small script, styled with The Road's fonts and colours. Only people already signed with The Road, never applicants, since applicants' photos stay inside the agencies. The Road's own website probably does this already, so it may not be needed.
• C. Subdomain. Point apply.theroad.es or casting.theroad.es at our hosting with a CNAME record. No code on their site, but their web team or domain provider has to add the record.

Questions for David and his web agency: which of these he means, who can edit the WordPress pages and DNS, and whether the agency charges for it.

Minors (16 and 17)

The demo now accepts 16 and 17 year olds with a parent or guardian's name, contact and a consent box. For launch (step 3 and 4): send the guardian an automatic email or SMS with a one-click confirmation link, keep the profile hidden from agencies until it is confirmed, and check the Spanish rules on minors' data with a lawyer. The portal's consent only covers applying and agencies seeing the photos and details. Image rights and work permits are the agency's job once it signs someone (David, 11 November). Under 16s are refused.