Nobody bats an eye at vans and buses bearing adverts, but the idea of a private car as a mobile billboard seems absurd - yet in the 1970s this was very much a thing.
The idea came to youth-focused marketing man Charles E Bird in 1971. Visiting San Diego University to give a lecture, he spotted among the many Volkswagen Beetles on campus one adorned with flower stickers. 'Bugs' were popular with cash-strapped young Americans, while the student demographic was lucrative but often proved elusive to advertisers, so the potential for a symbiotic situation was obvious.
Bird founded Beetleboards that October and snagged Levi's jeans as its first client. He drove his first stickered Bug to the University of California campus in Los Angeles, and the "cat calls and high signs" received from his target audience confirmed he was onto something.
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Within a year, Beetleboards was offering coverage at the 100 most populous US universities, thanks to an "exceptionally talented" team, comprised mostly of young women.
There was one snag, however, which was proving the effectiveness and good condition of these mobile billboards to clients. Beetleboards proposed monthly check-ups at VW dealers only to receive a threat of legal action from the car maker.
Its solution? Park a Levi's Bug outside the Volkswagen of America headquarters, where the enthused reaction of employees prompted the ad director to strike a deal with Bird to carry out the verifications and even contribute to recruitment - including selling stickered cars straight out of showrooms. At a time when a new Beetle cost about $3000, owners could get $480 in just two years from Beetleboards.
International expansion began in 1975, first over to Canada, then Puerto Rico and, in 1978, Britain. Over here the cars were Minis and the scheme was called Roller Posters, run by major outdoor advertising company Mills and Allen. As in the US, clients were mostly makers of consumer goods and cigarettes, but the Mini's manufacturer itself, British Leyland, also capitalised.
Mini owners would receive a free respray, £6 per month (around £30 in modern money) and "other cash bonuses" as compensation for being constantly stared at while driving.
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