Update: Since writing this last year, the car/billboard continues to makes sales. People take pictures of it and call. Even when it’s parked at home, I get a few calls. A good investment.
After a lengthy delay due to the virus, the sign company finally finished my car advertisement. I was ambivalent about this for a long time. But there’s no turning back now. So first thing I did was to park the car at a busy intersection I had long hoped to try. It was just there for about three hours and I got two phone calls! One of them is for transferring 75 videotapes. I’ve had a number of other calls in the week I’ve started advertising this way. They don’t happen if I leave the car at home. I have to take the car to strategic places and park it for a while.
When we were taking this photo of the car and me, a young woman approached and asked me about transfer costs. Later I was parked at the liquor store (purely for research) and a man asked me about the sign. At first I didn’t know what he meant. He called the next day and I am now doing his videos.
The bottom line: In the few days I have had my new moveable billboard, this has been a very successful marketing campaign. It’s already made a profit.
If you are thinking about doing this kind of marketing there are some considerations. I need to always be a courteous and safe driver and not look like a slob when I’m driving around. Also, this would not be a good vehicle for robbing banks. The letters are fairly permanent. The sign company said the letters can be removed with a heat gun, but that they wouldn’t do that. So if I need to sell the car, I’d have some work to remove the sign and there’s no guarantee that it might NOT hurt the finish.
As I drive around doing errands I sometimes think I should see if people are reading my ad, but this is the wrong approach. It is best to park the car in strategic places where it can be seen by many.
I am still wearing a mask and keeping six feet from customers. I no longer invite them inside my home, but meet them at the curb or go to their homes and use a plastic box to give and receive media and payments. We are all yearning to go back to movies, restaurants and friends homes, but it looks like this virus is going to be with us for a while. Sadly, even the Newport Jazz Festival cancelled this summer. But I’m grateful that I can keep my business going even though sales have declined somewhat.
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