There is a 66% chance (via experimental data) that your vehicle is a mobile advertisement right now. It’s hidden and strategically placed in two spots on your car that other drivers are guaranteed to look at. However, I’ll bet you haven’t given it any thought since you drove your car out of the dealership.
The entire purpose of a license plate frame is “protecting the car.” From what? Something about paint chipping. Really, this is a standard who knows, who cares situation. But you know who definitely cares? Businesses that sell cars. I need to hand it to them; their ploy is genius. Make up a vague issue with a $60,000 item people place societal status on, tack their custom-branded frames on every vehicle they sell for a net loss of about $2 per car, and let the customer drive around with the business name on two spots. The best part is that this promotion tactic is so common that drivers don’t give a second thought to their frames. In fact, most will drive around for years, providing free advertising to whatever random dealership from which they buy.
Really, your car is no better than the billboard buses driving around Los Angeles. The only difference is you’re not getting paid for it. Now there’s an idea: If you’re an unsuspecting victim who’s been driving around, giving free promotion to a car dealership, march back in there and demand some payment. For reference and to aid your ventures, some businesses pay upwards of $400 per month to use a personal vehicle as mobile advertising. Considering most dealership plates have their name, address or website in bold lettering, it is no small bumper sticker advertisement. To stay within safe margins, let’s go with $150 per month per frame. With an average lifespan of eight years, and we’ll assume this vehicle has two plates, that would be about $28,800 to advertise on a car for the duration of its time on the road, about 150,000 miles of driving. Of course, you’d have to be first to request your rightful money; otherwise, your dealership may go out of business, and the only thing left for you to do is kick the frames around, grumbling about the money you’ve lost.
I know this is a lot to take in for those of you attached to your dealership frames. I’m just trying to look out for you. Take off your dealership plate frame, maybe make your car more snazzy with a decorated one from Amazon, or bargain with your dealership for reimbursement for your promotion efforts. Personally, I’ll stick a college frame on my car and call it a day, but then again, decades of advertising their business would cost them a pretty penny.
No one I’ve confronted about this topic sees a significant issue with my take on license plate frames, frustratingly. They fail to see why it is so common because the general public lacks critical thinking skills and has been conditioned out of simply asking, “Why?” As a writer, my first instinct is to question, and I don’t know how far along the line it will be swiped from me, but it seems to have happened to a majority of adults I meet. I know AI is taking over the internet, but it shouldn’t be automizing our minds. What happened to this world where no one has the presence to analyze their surroundings? Please, wake up and think. Don’t accept what others tell you should be or what the media tells you is. License plate frames don’t solve a problem. A certain presidential candidate is not enforcing a female military draft. Once we start thinking critically about the world around us, misinformation will be less of an issue, and dealerships can’t profit further from your vehicle purchase.
Jackson Sneeringer is a senior at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.
Ah... someone who shares my disdain for dealership license plate frames.
I purchased a new vehicle nine months ago, and the first thing I did after driving home was remove the front and back dealership license plate frames. I have done the same thing for the past fifty years after purchasing a vehicle. Nobody rides for free.
I did scratch my head a little when I read your comment, "No one I’ve confronted about this topic sees a significant issue with my take on license plate frames, frustratingly." I'm not sure how you "confronted" those other folks, but based on the number of dealership frames we see, unsolicited and free advertising doesn't seem to be a significant issue for many people. However, I don't think it is a matter of a lack of creative thinking... I'm guessing most folks just don't think about it at all.
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(1) comment
Good morning, Jackson
Ah... someone who shares my disdain for dealership license plate frames.
I purchased a new vehicle nine months ago, and the first thing I did after driving home was remove the front and back dealership license plate frames. I have done the same thing for the past fifty years after purchasing a vehicle. Nobody rides for free.
I did scratch my head a little when I read your comment, "No one I’ve confronted about this topic sees a significant issue with my take on license plate frames, frustratingly." I'm not sure how you "confronted" those other folks, but based on the number of dealership frames we see, unsolicited and free advertising doesn't seem to be a significant issue for many people. However, I don't think it is a matter of a lack of creative thinking... I'm guessing most folks just don't think about it at all.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.