You may think it’s a joke, but it’s not!
You can actually get paid to drive your own car – whether to church, school, work, grocery store or wherever else you drive to in your daily life.
You can’t expect to get rich doing it, but just like the
get paid to rent your car idea I talked about a few days ago, you are looking at an extra $300 to $1000 a month, which I think is a great way to earn extra money during a recession like the one we are facing now.
There are actually names to it as well. They are commonly referred to as “get paid to drive” or “free car” promotions (though not as popular these days).
Obviously, you’ll need to know how to look out for such opportunities and how to get your car ready for advertising purposes.
How Car Wrapping Works
OK, this is how the whole idea works:
Businesses look out for average folks (not people with driving vocation) who happen to be on the road a lot. Those hired under the “paid to drive” scheme are not expected to be doing anything differently, just that their cars need to be dressed up like big advertising boards.
To get the ad on the car, a technique called “
auto wrap” is used.
The material is typically vinyl decal and it is effective in creating the impression that some sort of paintwork is directly applied to the car. More often than not, most part of the body of the vehicle will be utilized for this purpose.
For allowing their cars to be used as part of bigger advertising campaign, car owners are to be compensated. The amount usually starts from a few hundred dollars every month. In that sense, you can see this as a sort of leasing arrangement where owners trade their car space in exchange for some income.
Free Cars?
Another advertising practice, which is fast becoming obsolete nowadays, is what we call the “free car” scheme.
Individual car that was prepared beforehand would be assigned to the designated driver. Here, the compensation comes not in the form of monetary incentive, but rather free use of the said car.
It was just a matter of time before the realization kicked in that it was simply too wasteful to invest in a bunch of cars first and subsequently giving them away. Surely, not many companies can afford such extravagant habit with the current financial crunch.
Why Do they Do it?
So, what do they aim to achieve?
The ANSWER:
Sort of in your face advertisements.
A colorful car zigzagging on the streets or freeway easily stands out from the crowd. Even if it had to be held down by the traffic jam, the amount of attention generated is not to be dismissed.
Its mere presence would pique the interest of fellow drivers who are suddenly caught inside the makeshift and massive car park and find nothing else to do.
Things to Know
Geographical location is definitely important, as any marketer would tell you that the top preference is always the urban areas with high traffic.
As for the driver, the selection a criterion is often based on the kind of demographic the advertiser likes to target. Just to illustrate my point, an electronic manufacturing company would probably be interested to hire drivers who commute regularly to college campuses or at least the surrounding area, just so it could gain traction with some of the best engineering minds.
Followings are some other job criteria:
- Anybody who is at least 18 with a valid drivers license.
- A clean driving record.
- Minimum mileage to be covered varies, but likely in the region of 800 mls monthly.
- Need a global positioning system (GPS) installed so as to monitor mileage (optional).
- A binding legal contract.
- Insurance coverage, repairs and maintenance will be the obligation of the hired person.
- While contract stays valid, the actual advertisement stays on your car at all times, whether the car is mobile or stationary.
Be Aware of Paid to Drive Scams
I have personally come across a number of websites that try to hawk their “paid to drive prospects” databases for a fee. The database is of little help as advertisers would only require help when it is needed as such campaigns are usually pretty targeted and they usually run for a limited period of time.
But if you feel you don’t want to make judgment too harshly, go ahead and get one. However, make sure that you do business with one who promises full money back guarantee.
The industry also comes with some generally accepted practices, like advertisers would never demand money from you to help their “paid to drive” schemes. When whoever you are doing business with suddenly ask for some money in advance, or try to convince you to join some affiliate network, chances are, they are up to no good.
Legit Companies that Will Pay You to Drive Your Car
Having said that, there are legitimate helps as well. Instead of approaching prospective advertisers, you may want to sign up with plenty of car wrap firms. As they have an active pool of clients, your chance of getting paid to drive could get a life.
Some trusted names in this particular area are:
- AdsMartOutdoor
- AdsWraps
- FreeCarMedia
- Ads2Go
- AutoWrapped
- AdverCarZing
- Aretedi
- AutoCarWraps (UK)
- VistaMotion (UK)
- AdsToGo (Canada)
What Do You Think?
Do you have a wrapped car or know anyone who has? Would you put ads on your car driving it around in exchange for money?…