Toronto-based CityFlitz is taking its car fleet to the streets by renting out its logo-wrapped vehicles to the public for $1 a day.
Starting Aug. 20, consumers can rent Mini Coopers, Mini Clubmans and Smart cars, outfitted in branded logos from companies like Yahoo, North by Northeast Film & Music Festival and Global Ryan’s Petfoods.
The advertising is essentially subsidizing the cost of the rental. Before the launch of the public rental program, these “mobile billboards” were driven by ad agency teams and supplied promotional teams.
CityFlitz says it will provide weekly reports to its advertisers, telling them how many hours the cars were on the road and what geographical area they covered, said Andreas Kotal, president and CEO of CityFlitz, who estimates that each car receives approximately 70,000 impressions per day.
“This is a very effective way of advertising. Those cars [Minis and Smart cars] speak to a young target group,” said Kotal, adding that over 200 people have already pre-registered for the program.
Renters must comply with CityFlitz rules: The car must be driven within the Greater Toronto Area and for at least 30 kilometres a day.
CityFlitz is promoting the new service with radio commercials on The Edge, print ads in Now created by Inventa, and a launch event this Wednesday at Toronto’s Dundas Square. At the event, CityFlitz will hand out information pamphlets and merchandise, including like Mini Cooper magnets.
Ad rates for a single day campaign start at $400 per car, and start at $1,900 for a four-week campaign. Advertisers also need to pay a one-time sticker placement fee, which starts at $2,000. The sticker is said to last for up to six years.
