Around the same time, a copycat scheme, named Poster Motors, was initiated by Donnelley Marketforce, likewise targeting Mini owners and offering £6 per month. Advertisers could commit to a campaign lasting either three, six, nine or 12 months.
“While any scheme which gives the motorist a free respray and contributes to his running costs is to be welcomed as a tool to fight inflation, we wonder how much impact the scheme will have as the cars become a more and more familiar sight on the road, assuming the idea takes off,” wrote Autocar.
“There is also conceivably a safety hazard in the way the cars are decorated. While the car is obviously eye-catching, and thus easy to spot on the road, the decoration could in some circumstances break up the outline of the car, making it difficult to, for example, judge distances and closing speeds at a quick glance.”
Thankfully, it seems no crashes were caused but plenty of brands were boosted: a mass observation survey revealed that stickered cars were much more memorable than print or television advertising, with Levi’s Minis achieving a strong 42% rate of spontaneous recall among adolescents and young adults.
Within a year, Poster Motors had 200 stickered-up cars across London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, advertising Levi’s jeans, KP nuts and Durex condoms.
Autocar may have tugged its starched collar at that last one, but Poster Motors ensured that its applicants were carefully vetted.
“We don’t just take anyone,” managing director Brian Lane told the Nottingham Evening Post. “They must have the right attitude and lifestyle to be in keeping with the products. Levi’s drivers are generally young people in trendy areas, while Durex drivers are of all ages and social groups, but morally responsible people.”
It didn’t last long, though. “As the company grew, so did the stress,” recalls Bird in his upcoming book Those Amazing Beetleboards. “There were legal matters, financial issues, operational problems and a few too many disappointments.” Thus 1984 would be the last year of Beetleboards, and it seems Poster Motors ended about the same time.