Hello ehollar-ga,
Thanks for a fun question! Yes, you can get paid to drive or get a
free car but the conditions for qualifying are very limited. Because
of this the “free car” offers verge on being a scam since they have
you pay a membership fee without any guarantee that you’lll get
anything for it.
What’s really going on with the free cars? It’s the car wrap outdoor
advertising industry trying to reach specific targeted customers. If
you meet their requirements, you get to drive around in a wrapped car.
You have meet the right demographic profile, drive enough miles per
week, hang out in the right places, be a safe driver, etc. etc. etc.
I’ve collected a selection of articles that should help you evaluate
what these programs are about. I didn’t include any sites to the “free
car” offerings because you’re already familiar with them.
You might find the comments from the Mini2 forum members especially
interesting.
Enjoy!
czh
http://advertising.about.com/library/weekly/aa101502a.htm
That's a Wrap
Ready to get your car wrapped? Before you logon to these sites and
fill out their questionnaires, consider this:
You're not just riding around in your car anymore. Basically, you
become a representative of the client. For instance, Free Car educates
its drivers on the client's products/services. The company even offers
a sample of the product - from soda to computers - when possible.
Execs want you to know everything about the product. When people see
you out and about in your wrapped car, they may have questions. This
way, you'll know the answers.
**** This site gives you a good overview of the car wrapping business.
http://www.greedyfools.com/articles/46
Get Paid To Drive
Published: 06-1-03
Auto Wrap Advertising
You may have heard rumors that it is possible to get paid to drive
your car, or in some cases, get a car to use for free. While
participation is limited and luck is needed along with living in the
right place for a particular campaign, it is possible to get paid to
have your car (or a car given to you) turned into a moving
advertisement. If you drive 800 miles or more a month along heavily
populated routes in your normal driving habits, you may want to check
out the companies that offer car wraps. …
So what is the catch? The main one is there are far more drivers
wanting the positions than advertising campaigns available. If you
don't drive a lot of miles or live in a highly populated area (large
college campuses seem to be an ideal location) where the advertisement
will be seen by a population the advertisers crave, your chances of
being chosen are slim. Most companies require you to drive a minimum
of 800 miles a month. Not driving enough miles can negate the contract
and most companies utilize global positionaing systems (GPS) in your
car to track the miles and places you go each month. …
With the concept there are a growing number of websites that don't
actually offer the service of car wrapping, but claim to be a data
base for advertisers to find people willing to adverise on their cars.
Many offer free sign up, but then encourage you to purchase a "premium
package" that is supposed to move your name higher up on the list. The
fact is that you are very unlikely to be picked from these services so
it isn't worth the time (and definitely not the money) signing up with
them.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F4091FFE3D5A0C768DDDA10894D9404482
The New York Times -- Business/Financial Desk | August 15, 2001,
Wednesday
THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; A General Mills campaign goes mobile
as vehicles become rolling peddlers for Reese's Puffs.
ABSTRACT - Advertising column on new advertising campaign by General
Mills, in which 10 Minneapolis elementary-school teachers will earn
$250 each for allowing their automobiles to be wrapped in orange and
yellow vinyl, turning them into rolling advertisements for Reese's
Puffs, sweetened breakfast cereal; promotion is first wrap campaign by
Green Light Media in New York, industry newcomer; photo (M)
ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL teachers in the Minneapolis area are earning a
little extra money this summer vacation. Last week, while children
were still out enjoying their vacations, 10 teachers handed over their
cars for a transformation. Toyota RAV4's along with six other makes
and models were wrapped in orange and yellow vinyl, turning them into
rolling advertisements for Reese's Puffs, a sweetened breakfast cereal
from General Mills.
http://www.realtormag.com/rmomag.nsf/8da74ac05a592966862569e1000a85db/5dacf90b9b7049db86256b250053d741?OpenDocument
Driven to succeed
When Paul Teasdale, co-owner of RE/MAX Peaks Realty, Spanish Fork,
Utah, hits the road each day, he's an advertisement on wheels.
His car wrap advertising has helped make him a well-known face about
town. The wrap covers his entire car with a marketing message. Car
wraps run about $5,000 and can be professionally removed without
damaging the paint, he says.
Teasdale's wrap has a patriotic theme and features his name and that
of his company in big letters on the side of his sport utility
vehicle. His sales slogan reads "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of
your dream home." The wrap also shows his Web address in large type,
and his license plate reads "Agent 4U."
Over the years, Teasdale has tried different marketing techniques, but
nothing, he says, has had as much impact as the car wrap. He estimates
the wrap, which was done in May 2001, has increased his listings by
about 20 percent.
http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=5809
MINI2 FORUMS > TECHNICAL, MAINTENANCE AND MODIFICATIONS > EXTERIOR >
AutoWraps, CarWraps, advertising on your car.
MINI2 FORUMS – extensive discussion by forum members about interest in
getting their car wrapped since the Mini2 is a “cool” car and a good
target for many advertisers.
http://www.yubasket.cjb.net/
Advertising has come a long way in the past ten years. More people are
driving now than ever before. So why not utilize this opportunity?
Companies Have!! Companies around the world have listed over 700,000
vehicles waiting for drivers.. you may ask "What's the catch?" You're
right there is one catch.. they have their logo on the vehicle, thus
you are advertising for them! What a concept! And you benefit by
receiving a free car!
http://www.coolfreebielinks.com/Auto_Freebies/
Auto Freebies
AdsonWheels.com
http://www.adsonwheels.com/
Here's another "Pay to Drive" program. The site will pay you a monthly
fee to wrap your car in advertising. This one is relatively new so
we're not sure how much of an area they cover yet. However, pay outs
seem to be very competitive even if their campaign time frames do not.
Since they are just starting out, you may have a better chance of
getting in on the ground floor and being selected here. As with all
the other FREE car programs, you'll have to fork over a ton of
personal info to be considered. U.S. Only.
SEARCH STRATEGY
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