Free Gas For Life

As of this writing, gas is approaching $5 per gallon in some locations. AAA reports that the rising price of fuel has finally started changing driving behavior, as American consumers are driving less for the first time in decades. But if your business depends on a single vehicle or a fleet of vehicles, the recent run up in the price of gas can be crushing.

The Wall Street Journal reported (paid subscription required) on July 14, 2008 that certain full size pickup trucks are now available for 50% off the sticker price. The Journal reported that Zangara Dodge in Albuquerque, NM is selling 2008 Dodge Ram pickups for $15,000, down from a sticker price of about $30,000. The point of the article is that one can obtain previously unheard of deals from local dealers for pickup trucks. At $4.50 per gallon, that $15,000 savings will buy you over 3,300 gallons of gas, which will take your full size Dodge Ram over 50,000 miles. Not a bad deal when you consider that a new Toyota Prius starts around $22,000, if you can find one.

One can do better. A Spark Expo, mounted on a typical full size pickup chassis (Ford, Dodge, Toyota, etc...) is certainly not the most fuel efficient vehicle on the road. 15 MPG is a reasonable estimate for ordinary use. At $4.50 per gallon, one might burn 83 gallons of gas per month at a total cost of $374 per month (15,000 miles per year average miles). Just a few years ago, that same truck only cost around $150 per month for fuel expenses. For most truck owners, its understandable why many are considering downsizing or changing their driving behavior.

The financial benefit of Spark products
Each Spark Expo has 30 available ad spaces. The typical Expo buyer uses three or four of the spaces on each side of the truck to promote their own business, leaving all of the remaining ad space unused. That means that every Spark truck owner has everything that he or she needs to zero out their monthly fuel cost. Just sell ONE of the ads. When Expo owners offer ad space to their suppliers or best customers, they find that they are willing to pay for the space. It's not uncommon for other local business people to pay anywhere from $50 to $150 per week for one of the scrolling ads on your truck. Posting this type of ad doesn't lock the truck owner into special driving hours, or commitments to drive during certain hours. The deal offered is simple -- "your ad is seen on my truck everywhere it goes".

So, by selling just one of the 30 ad spaces, you can totally pay for your fuel. It doesn't matter that the truck gets 15MPG, or even if the price of gas rises to $7 per gallon. Sell one more ad, and you can also pay for the truck's lease payment, too!