Car renters visit the same destinations in the wrapped vehicles that are frequented by prime candidates for the advertised brands. Sheets, an energy mouth strip company, stocked the rental cars with samples.
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When the founders of Wrap Media Group look at rental cars, they see empty canvases — or maybe moving billboards — and since launching the advertising company Aug. 12, they’ve wrapped 25 vehicles with ads for Budget Rent a Car of Atlanta, a licensee.
“In many cases, outdoor advertising is difficult to measure,” says CEO and partner of Wrap Media Group Dennis Custage, who was once COO of National and Alamo’s foreign territories. But with rental cars equipped with global positioning systems (GPS), advertisers get an in-depth look at where the ad traveled, for how long and time of day.
Sheets, an energy-boosting mouth strip company, is Wrap Media Group’s first rental car advertiser. Warren Struhl, CEO of Pure Brands, which owns Sheets, says choosing Wrap Media is part of the company’s strategy to reach markets that traditional advertising platforms are unable to. “We also like to look at more fresh and renegade opportunities,” he says, adding, “I saw Wrap Media as a very forward-thinking way to promote our brand and get drivers engaged in our brand.”
The Wrapped Reservation
To reserve the ad-wrapped car, customers can reserve the vehicle on location or click the “Sponsored Rental” tab on the rental agency’s website, which starts a qualification process. Potential renters answer questions about their purpose of travel, planned destinations, number in party and other questions regarding their trip. “We’re trying to target leisure travelers,” says David Berke, COO and co-partner of Wrap Media Group.
The discount percentage offered may vary since the rental agency can change the amount depending on utilization throughout the ad campaign. For example, the inaugural renters at Budget Atlanta — a family of four — paid about $80 for a four-day rental that would have cost more than $300. Currently, though, the website lists getting “up to 50 percent off” with the sponsored rental. According to Custage, Budget reports offering an average of 25 percent off to maintain utilization targets.
Wrap Media also gives the customer recommended locations and hotspots the advertiser would like to see the vehicle venture. In Atlanta, which so far is the only city Wrap Media has vehicles, “we really don’t have a single case where we’re not happy with where the cars are going,” Custage says.