LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 Thousands of U.S. motorists have signed up to have their cars and trucks wrapped in advertisements in exchange for a stipend of up to $800 a month.
The program, run by Los Angeles advertising agency FreeCar Media, wraps cars in vinyl strips promoting consumer items such as Jamba Juice and Verizon Wireless, The New York Times reported.
The vinyl material, whose largest maker is 3M Co., uses an adhesive similar to the one on its 3M's Post-It notes.
Far from hurting the paint job, the wrap preserves it, the Times said.
Venture capital firm ARD Ventures, which has studied the phenomenon of wrapped cars, estimated motorists and pedestrians see a single vehicle's advertising message as many as 70,000 times a day.
FreeCar Media, which also gives its "brand ambassadors" free cars, has hired about 7,000 motorists since 2000, the company said.
The motorists are instructed to park outside whenever possible, refrain from smoking, littering or swearing in their vehicle and attend a monthly "influencer event" where they hand out samples or coupons, the Times said.
They also must send reports, frequently with photographs, to show where their cars have been.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
