So I have this crazy idea. Some may find it brilliant. Some may call it innovative. Some may find it stupid (I really dislike that word).
But I’m trying to pay off my debt and sometimes you have to get a little crazy, innovative when doing so.
Money is tight and I’m working my tail off to improve my situation. I have a ton of new work coming in and that is GREAT! I’m trying to build up my emergency fund and right now I’m about 25% of the way there. I’m also trying to find extra money to pay on my debts. I have two bills that are going to be paid off in the next couple of months! (!!!!)
But the part of my situation that worries me the most is my car.
I drive an old kick ass Mercury Grand Marquis. It is a 1994 with just 136,000 miles on it. It floods INSIDE the car when it rains. It has been totaled twice and still has considerable damage on the right side (it adds character). Three of the windows do not operate properly.
I can live with all of those things, it adds character to the old guy. But what worries me is that it burns oil, bad. I’m adding 2-3 quarts of oil to the engine each month. A year ago, I put $1400 into getting new tires, fixing two oil leaks, new breaks, etc. But I’m worried that it’s not going to last me too much longer.
I need to have a plan in place for when Marquis Mark passes on, otherwise I’ll be stranded.
Enter in my crazy idea.
What if I could find a brand who was interested in wrapping a car with their logo? Wouldn’t that be brilliant? You’ve seen the Red Bull cars driving around, right?
I think it would be great for the both of us. Not only would the brand/company get exposure as I was driving around here but I’d be blogging about it, taking pictures for Facebook and Twitter. They’d be getting double the exposure!
And I would be getting a newer vehicle that ran.
What I can offer to a company:
- Plenty of exposure in the Central Ohio area as well as Dayton and Cincinnati as I visit there frequently.
- Many Tweets to my over 1500 followers.
- Facebook postings on both my personal and blogging profiles that adds up to nearly 750 people.
- Regular blog posts to the over 7,500 unique visitors I receive each month (and growing).
- An ad on every page on my blog.
- Further exposure as I road trip to Blogging conferences (I’m hoping to attend BlogHer 12 and BloggyCon. I would also consider driving to Denver for FinCon12 instead of flying.)
- A heck of an entertaining brand/company ambassador for the duration of our contract!
- So much more.
What do you think? Crazy right? But I think it just might work if I can find the right company or brand. Feel free to share this with EVERYONE you know!
If you are interested, please contact me!
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Genius!!!
Mel recently posted..I can’t remember.
Mel(Quote)
Thanks Mel!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 23, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Great idea! If I had a car, I said that I would use it as an advertising vehicle. But how would you decide to go with (if you got a lot of offers) and how much would you charge???
Dannielle @ Odd Cents(Quote)
I’d pick a company that would fit with my blog first and one that I could support. As for $$, well I’ve got an idea in my mind but I’ll save that for negotiations if they ever occurred.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 24, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Funny enough I saw a car this evenng with two ads on it – one for the Barbados Yellow Pages and the other for RedJet ( a Caribbean airline).
Dannielle @ Odd Cents(Quote)
Barbados? Caribbean? I’d DEFINITELY need to visit company headquarters before signing paperwork for a wrap like that.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 23, 2012 at 7:58 pm
I think that’s a cool idea and I know some companies would do that.
My car was like that before it finally bit the dust. It burned oil like it was going out of style, which caused me some health problems because I also had an exhaust leak and it would all leak into the cab of the car. I had migraines and stabbing pains in my chest, likely from driving like that – I drove a lot. I have a new car now and it’s wonderful
Daisy(Quote)
That sounds like it was really bad!
My new beater car smells of gas sometimes when I use the A/C or heater…do you think that is a leak of my exhaust as well?
Amanda L Grossman recently posted..True Acceptance of Your Circumstances and Your Finances
Amanda L Grossman(Quote)
Make sure the gas cap has a tight seal. That can make a gas odor. You may have a leak. Probably something to get checked out.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 25, 2012 at 2:32 am
I second that. My mother’s car had a gas smell and it turned out that the previous owner had purchased a “new” aftermarket gas cap that wasn’t fitting right. She went to a auto pull, grabbed a “new” original gas cap and solved the problem.
Andi @ MealPlanRescue(Quote)
But do you know of these companies personally and could forward them this link??
I don’t think I have an exhaust coming in but I always feel bad about the person stuck behind me.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
There’s a guy in our condo complex with a car wrapped in a carfax ad. The car looks kind of interesting and is parked in the parking lot most of the time. The rest of the time I guess he’s driving it around. Good luck, I think it’s a great idea.
Barb Friedberg(Quote)
Thanks. I’d totally drive a Carfax car! They should call me!!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 24, 2012 at 1:25 am
I think its possible. Seems like you might need to grow your Twitter following and maybe your FB page likes to make yourself more attractive as a brand rep. But I think you should pursue it.
Would you own the car or would the company?
Companies I think might be good matches include consumer credit organizations, financial planners, local restaurants, cleaning agencies.
Good luck! Can’t wait to see if you can work it out.
Amy recently posted..Fat Tuesday, indeed
Amy(Quote)
Thanks Amy,
I am definitely working on increasing my followers.
As for the logistics of the car, I have ideas on how it would work but I’m open to negotiating with the company. I agree about the companies, those would be good fits, there are plenty more out there.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 24, 2012 at 11:06 am
I think I’m going to be in the minority in that I think it’s a bad idea. For instance, what if you get a ticket or into an accident? Won’t that jeopardize your “image”? What about insurance rates? What if it’s a company whose mission you don’t agree with, or what if the company folds or they just decide that your car isn’t in the budget anymore? What happens then?
There are too many variables that go along with this to make it a good idea from a practical standpoint. I get that your car is in poor condition but you might do better to save for a new one than try to get a company to sponsor or give you a new one.
Jana @ Daily Money Shot recently posted..Practical tips for saving money? Not always.
Jana @ Daily Money Shot(Quote)
Let’s see if I can address these a bit. IF I got a ticket, who would really know? BUT I don’t really speed, I can’t afford a ticket so I’m very careful. As for an accident, I don’t think it would jeopardize an image. Accidents happen, I’d get the car fixed. I would have insurance, I assume it would be my responsibility. I wouldn’t do business with a company I don’t agree with, even if the offer was good. And as for if the company folds or decides it isn’t in the budget, we’d have to work out the clauses for that in the negotiating but I think there would be a clear way through those instances if they did happen.
I am saving for a car, but it’s slow going. I don’t think this is a bad idea, I really think it could work out.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
The Mercury Marquis and the Crown Vic were featured in the book appendix as one of those cars that Millionaires-Next-Door bought by the pound. Good value for money.
101 Centavos recently posted..Take It Easy, Just Go For a Walk
101 Centavos(Quote)
It’s been a good value for my money for sure. But at 18 years of age, it needs more work than it’s worth. I’m actually thinking I can get what I paid for it back if I were to sell it.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
It would have to be a company promoting frugality. Maybe a new car dealer would put a message on there like “need a new ride?”
I’ve heard of people getting about $5000 per year for wrapping their vehicles. Probably a company near you who does it. If not, maybe you can start one!
John | Married (with Debt) recently posted..Best Personal Finance Writing – Week 8
John | Married (with Debt)(Quote)
I’ve actually seen a number of wrapped cars in the past couple of days in my area. From car washes to insurance companies to auto dealers and of course there’s the Red Bull cars. $5000 sounds about right. I’ve found a few different numbers on line.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
It is a good idea, but those programs are shrinking, and many people are on the wait list. If you could get to do a wrapped car, it would be fabulous. Looking forward to hearing that it hopefully works for you.
Melissa@PersonalFinanceJourney recently posted..
Melissa@PersonalFinanceJourney(Quote)
Wait lists? guh. I don’t want to deal with wait lists. I have ADHD, we don’t do wait lists as a general rule.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
I think it’s rather brilliant aka innovative! There will always be some drawbacks to advertising and making deals with companies, but overall I think if you think it through, it could be awesome. Good luck and keep us posted
Carrie – Careful Cents recently posted..8 Ways to Attend a Business Conference for Free
Carrie – Careful Cents(Quote)
I like your use of the word ‘Brilliant.’
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
I hink they have lost their appeal but I swear to you if I had enough money I would sponsor you. My face on a car all over town… No too bad no matter how much oil it burns.
Jai Catalano(Quote)
Well I don’t want to wrap my ancient, gas guzzling, oil burning, water logged vehicle. I’d want a newer one. But I’d love to drive around with your adorable mug on my car. Call me when you are making the bank!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 25, 2012 at 2:33 am
Cars are always a source of concern. We joke that my car is our zombie vehicle. It’s dead but somehow still running. At 180,000 miles we already had to do a top-end rebuild on it, and I’m just hoping it holds together for our car fund to get me a used VW Golf.
Wait, I guess that means I should start a car fund.
Andi @ MealPlanRescue(Quote)
yea my car fund keeps starting and then stopping. I REALLY need to increase my income even more than I already am.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on February 26, 2012 at 7:43 am
Here’s a brilliant idea to add to your brilliant idea. Somehow get Yakezie to sponsor your car. Take a small donation from each existing Yakezie member and challenger, get the Yakezie logo and URL wrapped on your car, then all Yakezie members and challengers get exposure!
Matt @ RamblingFever Money recently posted..
Matt @ RamblingFever Money(Quote)
that IS a brilliant idea!! We need to talk to Sam about this!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Hi! You can’t say it’s a crazy idea until you have put it on gear and find it running smoothly. So go ahead and drive! Personally, I think it’s brilliant once you get the right brand or company.
Amy Turner recently posted..Where Does All My Money Go?
Amy Turner(Quote)
It is a crazy idea and I like it! Good luck, and I hope you find a sponsor soon!
Jon Rhodes(Quote)