Sellsumers can already earn cash in exchange for wrapping their cars in ads via sites like Australian cashURwheels, but recently we came across an example in Singapore that offers a slightly different twist. Through a new carvertising campaign from local shopping magazine Chic and Chevron's Caltex gas brand, Singapore drivers can earn SGD 50 worth of gas.

Consumers begin by registering their car with the GottaGetGas site, including license plate, model, colour and type of gas used. If selected, they're then invited to get an advertiser-provided decal affixed to their car at the nearest Caltex station. In exchange, they're rewarded with a SGD 50 GottaGetGas card, which can be used to buy gas at any Singapore Caltex station.

Consumers are clearly motivated by cash, but a brand-sponsored reward like gas could be just as compelling while providing benefits for yet another partner in the equation. For the magazine, meanwhile, it's a nice way to connect with readers while expanding advertisers' options. A model to emulate on the roads near you...?

Website: www.gottagetgas.com
Contact: mailus@chicreaders.com

Spotted by: Donna Tang

It seems fair to say that laundry is one of the great levelers in this life, which might explain why we've seen pop-up laundry services on so many occasions already. There are the brand butlers that offer laundry service at festivals, and there's the Method truck to facilitate the donation of clean clothes, but it wasn't until recently that we noticed Tide's Loads of Hope program.

Inspired by the Hurricane Katrina disaster five years ago, Tide Loads of Hope is a mobile laundry service that provides clean clothes to families affected by disaster. Through a partnership with Feeding America and Frigidaire, the program has since washed more than 36,000 loads of laundry for some 27,000 families in many other disaster-struck communities as well, including those affected by the recent floods in Middle Tennessee and Pike County, Ky. One truck and a fleet of vans house 32 energy-efficient Frigidaire washers and dryers capable of cleaning more than 300 loads of laundry every day—staffers do it all for free, including folding the clothes afterward.

Procter & Gamble's Tide detergent brand also runs a program through which it will donate USD 1 for every bottle of “Yellow Cap Tide” consumers purchase and register online. All profits from sales of its USD 20 Tide Vintage T-shirt, meanwhile, go toward helping disaster victims as well. How is *your* brand demonstrating its generosity for all the Generation G masses to see...? (Related: Donated site matches fire victims with extra beds — Donated site helps families keep their homes — Billboard-mounted dinghy makes a splash in monsoon floods.)

Website: www.tideloadsofhope.com
Contact: www.tide.com/en-US/talk-to-tide.jspx

Spotted by: Jim Stewart

We've covered plenty of being spaces over the years, including several that target mobile warriors and nontraditional workers with a place to get something done. It wasn't until recently, however, that we came across a brand-sponsored version designed specifically for a particular category of professionals.

Launched late last month, Wix Lounge is a being space for creative professionals that's equipped with workstations, wifi, comfy seating, cappuccinos and plenty of opportunities for working, networking and collaboration. The Manhattan lounge was designed and conceived by Wix, maker of a popular Flash website building tool, and there's no cost for freelance designers and other creatives to spend time there. The Wix Lounge will also host events including web design workshops, business boot camps and movie nights, the company says.

Serving as a sort of B2B brand butler, the Wix Lounge is sure to win the hearts, wallets and loyalty of more than a few potential clients—far more effectively, we'd suggest, than any ad ever could. Other B2Bs the world over: how about setting up and hosting a little work nest for your own hard-working clients...? (Related: Sponsored iPhone app uses augmented reality to help road warriors find a place to work.)

Website: www.wix.com/WixDemo/Lounge_2
Contact: lounge@wix.com

Spotted by: Fran Wercher

Tapping the crowd for creative input can provide a double-sided benefit for businesses: first, it unleashes a huge resource of ideas, often at little or no cost. Second, it's a powerful marketing tool, providing information about who potential customers are, and about what they like. Here are five recently spotted enterprises that make use of content from the crowd:

1. NAMING FORCE — Naming Force crowdsources name ideas for businesses, websites, and products. Clients sign up for a package of suggestions and provide a brief description of what they want named. The incentive for the community of namers is a cash prize of USD 100-500, paid by the client to the person whose idea is chosen. If the client doesn't like any of the suggestions, they're refunded the prize money. (Related: Name This.)

2. OPENFILE — Plenty of news sites carry content penned by readers, but the subjects themselves tend to be chosen by the editors. Toronto's OpenFile turns this model on its head: content is written by the site's staff, but the story suggestions come from readers. The idea is that this collaborative approach to newsgathering will uncover stories that traditional journalists might overlook, and generate content that better suits the local audience. (Related: Spot.us.)

3. HELP ME DECIDE — The makers of the Help Me Decide Facebook app argue that people trust recommendations from friends more than other advice found online. Accordingly, the app allows users to get decision-making advice from their social network. Users post a question—about anything from relationships to purchasing decisions—and then invite suggestions from people on their network. (Related: Hunch.)

4. LISTENER DRIVEN RADIO — Ohio's Listener Driven Radio makes a set of tools to help broadcasters become crowdcasters. Using LDR, a radio station's listeners can provide real-time feedback about what they're hearing—dynamically influencing the station's playlists. They can use the station's website, Twitter or mobile phones to rate songs and make requests, and this information is fed into a weighting system for the station's music library. (Related: Songza.)

5. DAN 3.0 — Taking the idea of consumers influencing what's being broadcast even further, online show Dan 3.0 launched this month. It's about a young man called Dan Brown, who for one year has allowed his audience to control his life. Viewers can submit suggestions and vote online on what they want Dan to do. Suggestions so far include writing a letter to the US president, and visiting a viewer on her birthday.

Spotters: Stefan M Grimm, Jim Stewart

First we saw Gap partner with fitness chain Crunch to turn its rotating New York City concept store into a workout haven for a month. Now, sports brand Adidas is pushing the idea even further in Tokyo with a permanent store that doubles as an urban running club.

Located near the Imperial Palace—an area that's already popular among the city's runners—the Adidas Runbase store is a far cry from your average sporting goods purveyor. Included in the brand-new space are 16 shower cubicles and 248 lockers for rent, for example. Also available are a broad array of cutting-edge Adidas shoes and clothing available for the borrowing, according to Weekender Japan. Expert staff are on hand to offer tips and recommendations, so runners could presumably try a different combination of goods each time they run, giving them the ultimate in try-before-you-buy purchasing confidence.

While we're not too sure about the advisability of tryvertising when it comes to sneakers—the potential for health issues seems to loom large—the Runbase's real strength is surely its brand butler role. Imagine a brand that offers expert tips and product advice as well as enabling your fitness regime with a conveniently located locker room. Now take that thought and adapt it to your own helpful brand! ;-)

Website: www.adirepublic.jp/runbase/
Contact: www.adirepublic.jp/inquiry

Spotted by: Weekender Japan via Dan Calladine