Valet stubs double as billboards
At Il Moro in West Los Angeles, a recent parking valet ticket trumpeted Armani Exchange. At Jar on Beverly Boulevard, it was Lasik. And at Ago on Melrose Avenue, the valets dispensed tickets featuring the Tom Hanks-Leonardo DiCaprio movie “Catch Me If You Can.”
Why advertise on something most of us automatically toss in our purse or tuck into a pocket?
“You can’t go to Kinko’s without valeting your car,” said Barbara Nathan, executive vice president of AdverTickets of Dallas.
More than 2 million AdverTickets are distributed each month here, at malls, parking lots and several hundred restaurants. And AdverTickets isn’t the only game in town. Tickets created by Los Angeles-based ParkMedia are in use at a number of eateries.
Not everyone sees the ads, though. “I almost threw the ticket away,” said Alex Pereira of the “Catch Me If You Can” stub he got at Ago during a recent visit. “I thought it was a movie flier,” explained the 26-year-old producer as he waited for his car.
As for the restaurateurs, most don’t mind that their customers get a pitch. “At least these look artistic,” said Garth Nelson, manager of Orso on 3rd Street.
Others, however, do mind. “It’s a little tacky,” said Jason Rocheleau, general manager of Cafe Del Rey in Marina del Rey. “What if the ad is something the guest isn’t comfortable with?”
Some restaurateurs aren’t aware the tickets are in use at their establishments, since AdverTickets and ParkMedia work directly with the valets.
It may be hard to say how effective the ads are, but there’s at least one clue. “Some people ask if they can keep the tickets,” said Hugo Chavez, owner of Beverly Hills Best Valet.
