Today's New York Times has an article on how advertisers are paying car and SUV owners hundreds of dollars a month to wrap their vehicles in advertising banners. Truly vehicle advertising is an idea whose time has come.

The more I think about it the more I like it. It's not that I like the vehicle advertising idea for my own self. Rather I appreciate the economics and the basic business dynamic at work here. Let's examine the idea of advertising on cars and SUVs from the points of view of the market participants.

The ad buyer
For any advertiser, it's a dream come true. If I were a company with a big advertising budget I'd be all over this. Advertising space in high traffic areas can be hugely expensive. I might be able to replace a single billboard placement with dozens of cars and SUV's for the same investment. And a moving billboard is a lot less likely to be ignored. Fixed ads have a way of becoming invisible to people who regularly pass by them.

Big advertisers love the idea because the pool of available space upon which to plaster their message is huge. And not only is it huge, it isn't subject to legal restriction. There are no laws limiting the size or number of ads on the sides of cars. Some states have enacted laws limiting advertising along roadways, effectively turning advertising into a sellers market. Vehicle ads give control of the market back to the advertising buyer.

Even small advertisers would agree vehicle ads are a great idea. The little guys who are priced out of the really expensive space can wrap their own fleet or buy vehicle ads in the locations they serve for a fraction of the cost of a fixed billboard.

The ad seller
I like the idea of vehicle ads because now anyone can own and operate a business. Anyone with a car or SUV can become a vehicle ad publisher. All you need for it is a vehicle and a willingness to comply with whatever rules your advertiser has for creating impressions. You may be required to drive (sit in) in rush-hour traffic for instance. And no doubt you'll need to always be on your best driving behavior.

In return your business will generate a revenue which you can use any way you like. Of course your revenue is taxable income, but expenses you incur in running your business will reduce, if not eliminate, the amount which is taxable.

I suppose the only real disadvantage I see here happens on a personal level. When the market becomes fully developed, do you suppose we'll become blind to ads on cars and SUVs in the same way we are to ads everywhere else? If not, I have no doubt some creative mind will find a way to skip over rush-hour like we all do with commercials on TV.