So one day, we come down into the depths of the parking garage and our Smart Fortwo seems to have found a friend. Jon Barrett, a vehicle data editor at Edmunds.com, reports the circumstances:
"I've been lucky enough to have been loaned a 2008 Smart Fortwo for the next couple months by a friend to help him advertise his designer watch store, Valencia Time Center. Driving the Smart around town is like driving a cute-looking magnet. Even friends of mine who maintain that they hate the Smart invariably ask the same question, "Can I take it for a drive?" And you know what? They usually come back with a grin, whether it's from enjoyment or just from laughing at how ridiculous the car is.
"There might be something to this 'magnet' thing. In the first week that I have been driving it, I have seen more Smarts on the road than I ever have before -- usually around three per day.
"But is using a Smart car truly an effective means of advertising? If you think about it, it really is. Nearly everyone that sees a Smart car on the road can't help but stare at it. Whether it is a curious fascination, an extreme dislike for the car, or something in-between, the Smart car always commands an audience.
"And my friend is not the only one to have the idea. While driving home the other day, there was a neon-pink smart driving up Pacific Coast Highway right next to me that was advertising a party planning business. I will admit that when I saw that bright pink bubble in my rear-view mirror, even I couldn't help staring at it.
"Seeing as people are pretty much guaranteed to be looking at it anyways, the Smart Fortwo provides the perfect rolling billboard."
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor @ 14,908 miles
DCuerpoJr says:
05:07 PM, 03/23/09
I agree. I always tend to notice a Smart Car's presence whenever I drive or walk through downtown Seattle. I've also notice that many of them are being used as rolling bill boards. I think it's similar to when the new VW Beetle rolled out in the late 90's. Everyone took notice whether you liked the car or not.
shaddai says:
05:16 PM, 03/23/09
A lot of the Scion xB's were used for this when they were new. I still see billboarded xB's. Heck, I still see the Red Bull Mini now and then... that thing is fugly.
petrolhead85 says:
05:30 PM, 03/23/09
Not a bad idea. Many of the smarts I see around town are rolling billboards. The City of Kelowna bought a fleet of diesel fortwos a few years ago so you see a lot of city engineers and managers cruising around town in them. And yeah, there's even a Red Bull Mini that I occasionally see on the roads, haven't seen it recently though. And I think we can all agree, like them or don't, you can't help staring, which is the whole point of advertising in the first place.
stephen987 says:
05:48 PM, 03/23/09
A local exterminator company has a fleet of VW Beetles painted in the company livery. Geek Squad (Best Buy's in-house tech support guys) also uses them. I would think their job ought to be getting RID of bugs. . .
edubya says:
07:09 PM, 03/23/09
Interesting idea, but I'm not sure I would respond to such advertising. Were I in the market for a high-end watch, I don't think I'd go to one advertised on a goofy little Smart. Maybe I'm not the customer he's thinking of?
Monocrom says:
12:57 AM, 03/24/09
I have an urge to just smash a Smart with a baseball bat... But I can picture myself running up to one, and then not being able to do it. They're so damn cute! As a car, I hate them! But they're so darn cute...
dougtheeng says:
05:59 AM, 03/24/09
There are several companies in my area that advertise with smarts, including one company that has a fleet of them.
oldchap says:
06:43 AM, 03/24/09
"similar to when the new VW Beetle rolled out in the late 90's"
My dad's VW Beetle was a rolling Stag Beer billboard (including giant pop top grafted to the roof and "Recycle this can" printed around the fenders) as part of a local bugs-as-ads campaign in the early 70's.
tshoe says:
02:14 PM, 03/25/09
Sad to see the economy drop from H2's used for advertising a couple years ago to Smart's now. :(