When Duana Malcolm had her blue Hyundai Sonata sedan “wrapped up” like a mobile billboard, the part-time delivery driver didn’t expect to earn as much as $200 a month.
Malcolm is one of many motorists seeking alternative revenue streams to mitigate the impact of rising gas prices and increased costs for everything from tires to maintenance as US inflation hits a 40-year high.
“It’s not money that changes my life, but I know I’ll be getting money every month for the next five months. That will ease my worries,” said Malcolm, who drives in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas of the deal with outdoor advertising agency Carvertize. .
Drivers can earn between $100 and $600 per month, depending on the ad and the length of the campaign, and can earn a $100 to $200 bonus for timely ads.
And it’s not just car wrapping, advertisers are turning to traditional forms such as billboards and bus benches as potential customers who were glued to their screens during the pandemic are returning to offices and out on the road more often.
Carvertise, which pays drivers to package their cars in ads printed on self-adhesive films known as “decals,” said it has seen a monthly growth of between 8% and 13% in new products over the past three months. registrations, and more is expected.
“By putting our customers’ ads on their cars, drivers turn their cars into rolling billboards and get paid for something they do anyway: drive a car,” said Greg Star, co-founder of Delaware-based company Wilmington. †
Users must install an app and register on the platform to participate in a campaign and the company selects the drivers it uses based on the advertiser’s target location and the user’s driving habits, be it commuting or work as a co-driver or delivery driver.
Industry leaders Carvertise and California-based Wrapify said they have thousands of gig drivers on their subscription lists and clients ranging from GoPuff, EA Sports, 7-Eleven to local law firms. They covered thousands of cars with advertisements.
Although taxi companies Uber and Lyft, which are under pressure from acute driver shortages, have announced a fuel surcharge, it was not enough to offset the rise in fuel costs. first time ever earlier this month.
Uber and others are also in talks about formal partnerships with companies like Carvetise to boost drivers’ incomes, a source familiar with the matter says, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Uber said it was focused on its cartop ad network, which has 112 million daily impressions with ad views atop more than 3,000 vehicles in major U.S. cities.
Lyft declined to comment.