Carvertising has been around for years—both the kind focused on rental cars, which we've covered several times, and the kind that lets sellsumers earn a little extra cash wrapping their own cars in ads. Setting its sights on the latter, cashURwheels is an Australian firm that serves as an online marketplace connecting drivers directly with companies interested in vehicle-based ads.
Whereas carvertising agencies ask drivers to register their vehicles in the hopes of eventually being one of the few selected to be part of a large campaign, cashURwheels connects drivers directly with potential advertisers. Drivers begin by creating an online account and then browsing the available opportunities. They can create a profile including photos along with information about their driving habits and commute patterns, and then bid on ad campaigns or request contact with advertisers directly. Auctions for advertisers include a deadline, the number of vehicles required, and a reserve price, if any. Upon winning a bid, drivers and advertisers communicate to work out the details. Ad campaigns are conducted via car wraps—large vinyl ads applied to cars on a temporary basis, similar in many ways to the sticky car art we've covered before—that transform them, temporarily, into four-wheeled promotions. Currently, participation for both drivers and advertisers on cashURwheels is free.
Now serving Australia, cashURwheels aims to expand globally soon. One to emulate or partner with regionally? And since the system will likely appeal to small and medium businesses with small and medium advertising budgets, it can't hurt to throw some crowd-sourced graphic design into the mix ;-)
Website: www.cashurwheels.com
Contact: www.cashurwheels.com/contact_us.php
Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann
Concept is nothing new, in Belgium there is http://www.carpromo.be/ (local market only)..
@ Anendel - I agree that the concept has been around for a while, but the execution is definitely new. CashURwheels, puts you in the drivers seat and give you the ability to decide which ads you want to place a bid on and what amount you are willing to accept for it.
Appreciate your comments.
If vehicles could carry a ticker or banner device then we would have 'Google adsense for cars'. The efforts to merge personal branding with commercial advertising for monetary gain are not new. It started with RentMyChest.com, where you sell advertising keywords on T-shirts that you can wear. It is like Google Adsense for T-shirts. Now imagining, if the T shirts had embeddable OLED displays that displayed Adsense ads, for every hour you could get paid something - it builds more visibility based on the place you are in at the moment. Similarly for freelancer workers working in common cubicle spaces (co-working) could spell ad spots on their laptop covers - Adsense for highly targetedly visible laptops...