A California startup called Wrapify has created an Uber-like platform to connect advertisers with car owners willing to have their cars wrapped with ads for a fee.
The company is based in San Diego and has commenced operations there and in San Francisco. So far, 1,500 drivers have signed on. The service will roll out to Los Angeles, Orange County and Atlanta later in the summer. The pitch to consumers is, "Drive. Earn. Live."
Brands using the service so far include Coldcock Whisky, HomeHero, Captiv8.io and Unreel.io. The wrap ads are designed in-house at Wrapify.
“We think Wrapify will help speed marketing's paradigm shift to the individual, a fair deal where everyday Americans get a piece of the action,” said company CEO James Heller.
Advertisers and drivers can keep track of the traveling that the latter do with their wrapped vehicles using Wrapify’s proprietary mobile application. Drivers download a company app, engage it when they get in their vehicle and the app checks in the driver and tracks mileage as they go.
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Advertisers and drivers also share access to tracking, analytics and reporting that chronicles campaigns, activates push notifications and other functions.
So far, the company has raised $1 million in funding from investors that include Ludlow Ventures, Social+Capital Partnership, Haystack, and The LAUNCH Fund.
Without question this will be a hit for consumers/drivers pending a little awareness building initiative. The question rests with the advertisers... they built it, now will they come?
With the bulk of advertisers likely wanting to penetrate a market for a short period of time based on seasonality, promotions or events I'm interested to see where this goes. Intriguing for sure.