Free Car or Mobile Billboard?; Buzzcar.com Announces Free Cars

25 July 2000

Free Car or Mobile Billboard?; Buzzcar.com Announces Free Cars

    GAINESVILLE, Fla.--July 25, 2000--No, it's not a hoax, or even the latest Internet gimmick.
    It's a business plan. And it's giving a whole new meaning to the slogan "drivers wanted." Founded in June 2000, Buzzcar.com is an outdoor advertising provider with a twist. Its ads come in the form of publicity-festooned cars that are given away -- free -- to people who need to get around.
    Sound strange? Think about it. On one hand, an advertising industry whose traditional methods just aren't working anymore: billboards, print, broadcast, and Internet banner ads are so ubiquitous they've become meaningless, lost in everyday clutter. And on the other hand, moving vehicles: seen on every street, in every driveway, at every place of business.
    American modern culture has been built around the automobile -- the average American spends two hours a day in their car, and drives more than 30 miles a day.
    Translate that into advertising terms and you get near-ubiquity: the average American vehicle averages is seen about 750,000 times every month. That makes cars the next step in reaching consumers. And BuzzCar.com is on the cutting edge.
    "We're creating sweeping changes in the outdoor advertising industry and the way people view it," agreed BuzzCar.com founder Bob Leonard. Since its public launch on June 15th, BuzzCar has received over 7000 applications from drivers all across the United States.
    Advertisers are just as enthusiastic. Little wonder: studies show that "wrapped" cars -- those are the BuzzCars festooned with vinyl-based graphics -- get remembered more readily by an astounding 91 percent of those who see them. With numbers like those, the success BuzzCar.com is already finding isn't too surprising.
    Nor do the company's innovative graphic stylings hurt: BuzzCars, the company is finding, are eye-catching and entertaining while increasing the consumers' attention toward brand and companies.
    The drivers and advertisers come together in a proprietary database that may be BuzzCar.com's ace in the hole. In exchange for the opportunity to receive a free car, BuzzCar drivers reveal relevant information about their lifestyle and driving habits.
    Advertisers are then able to mine that database for drivers whose demographic and lifestyle patterns fit what they're selling, allowing the advertisers to craft highly-targeted ad campaigns. Clever use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) device completes the picture, allowing advertisers to track return on investment without compromising the driver's privacy.
    Buzzcar.com currently operates in the United States, with plans to expand internationally within the year. For more information, please contact:

    Robert Leonard, 352/371-1764
    Email: media@BuzzCar.com
    Web: http://www.Buzzcar.com