The idea
What it is
The problem
A developer records Swift tutorials every week. Their Mac dock is at the bottom of every frame, all year. Thousands of people who work on Macs watch those videos.
The strip of icons earns nothing. A dev tool brand that wants exactly those viewers has no way to buy a spot on it.
The product
A creator lists 1 to 3 dock spots with their audience size, niche, social link and a monthly price. A brand picks a creator, pays, and uploads its logo as a Mac dock icon. The creator installs the icon and records as usual.
Three things set it apart from a sponsored video segment.
- One install and it is in every recording, screenshot and livestream after that, with nothing to remember to do
- A public gallery of sponsored docks, so brands can browse creators by niche and audience size before they commit
- One icon spec, so every sponsor's logo looks like it belongs in the dock
The weekend version: one page listing 5 creators' docks with a price per slot and a payment link.
Who pays
- Buyer
- A marketer at a Mac developer or design tool who wants to reach those viewers without commissioning a full sponsored video.
- Price
- Starting point: creators set $50 to $150 a month per slot and the marketplace keeps 10%; Brand My Mac's 10 sticker spots raised over $9,690 in one auction.
Why now
In early September 2026, Brand My Mac auctioned 10 sticker spots on one MacBook and raised over $9,690 from 120K+ visitors. The laptop paid for itself before the 14-day auction ended.
The same maker then launched BrandMyLaptop, where anyone can sell spots on their laptop lid. It passed $12,000 in sticker sales.
How to validate it
- Ask 10 Mac creators who post screen recordings whether they would list a dock spot at $50 a month. Pass: 3 or more say yes.
- Put up a concept page with a mock gallery of sponsored docks and a brand contact form. Pass: 3 or more brands submit the form within 7 days.
- Run one deal by hand: one creator, one brand, one dock slot. Pass: the brand pays and the icon appears in a published video.
- Ask 10 brands what they would pay a month for one slot on a creator with 50,000 monthly views. Pass: 7 or more name a number; the first price is their median.
Examples like this
TypeFastMarketing Brands buy individual keys on a typing game's keyboard, a branded spot on a screen people watch 
outbid lolDirectory Sells visible placement on a public board, with the bid setting who gets the top spot 
onmediamarketMarketing A marketplace that connects brands with creators and holds payment in escrow per milestone 
CooldockProductivity A second Mac Dock with live widgets, built on the same strip of screen this idea sells 
