Patrick Boyle, chief executive of Mobile Engines, said cars like Morrison's are inexpensive alternatives to billboards, which can be hard to come by. Mark Fernandez, another VW Beetle driver, has spent the past eight months driving ads for Jamba Juice Co. around Los Angeles, from the post-production studio where he works to the coffee houses and comedy clubs where he performs at night. Three other companies have wrapped cars on the road or are planning to start soon. The companies look for drivers whose normal commute takes them through areas where a sizable number of people see their cars every day. They check driving records, job history and the car's condition.
Powers also looks for people with the personality to represent an advertiser.
That includes regularly meeting minimum mileage requirements and keeping the car clean. The cars are equipped with a tracking device to show where and how far they are traveling so advertisers can be assured they are getting their money's worth. But Leslie Savan, a longtime ad critic for The Village Voice, said she found it depressing that people were willing to convert their cars into ad vehicles.