MotionAds Empowers Delivery Drivers, Generates R10 Million in Driver Payouts

In and amongst the busy streets of South Africa's city centers, MotionAds has led a transformative shift in outdoor advertising. Over the past five years, we've equipped delivery bike drivers, through partnering with Uber Eats, with the opportunity to advertise on their bike boxes,  helping to empower and support these micro-enterprises on two wheels. This month, April 2024, we celebrate a major milestone: we are thrilled to share that we have reached R10 000 000 in payouts to our amazing drivers. This achievement stands as a testament to the collective passion, resilience, and ingenuity of our entire team.

Started in 2019 by our co-founders Jon Berkowitz & Elan Band, MotionAds, a social impact business, was born through a casual conversation between the two while driving together. Noticing how there was an obvious “wasted space” in the OOH marketing industry, Jon & Elan began to dive deeper into the idea of what advertising on delivery bikes could do for the marketing efforts of businesses and how it could help these brands grow their reach and impressions. After further investigating the potential of this business, they began to uncover the need for this initiative stretched beyond the marketing space - to improve the livelihood of delivery drivers in South Africa. 

Giving back through socially responsible advertising

South Africa has faced an overwhelming unemployment rate over the last few years, and the cost of living has naturally continued to rise throughout the recent world epidemics and economic battles. With the unemployment rate fluctuating around 30%, according to recent statistics, this highlights the need for job creation, particularly in spaces with the potential for growth and innovation. Sectors like advertising and marketing, where a lot of the work can be outsourced to entities such as MotionAds, increasing the need for delivery drivers and in turn allowing drivers to increase their earnings through these campaigns.

Working beyond the price tag

At MotionAds, we understand many of our delivery drivers have that entrepreneurial spark. That's why we work beyond financial incentives, and offer training opportunities and exclusive deals from rewards partners. This approach helps create a tight-knit community among our drivers, and feeds into our original driving force of giving back to and empowering our drivers.

Let our tech do the talking

While we initially catered to food, home services, and consumer brands, we have witnessed a notable expansion into sectors such as retail, telecommunications, IT, and automotive companies, indicating the broad appeal and effectiveness of our advertising model. To facilitate this growth and enhance client engagement, MotionAds made strategic investments into developing an app that provides brands with a comprehensive dashboard to monitor driver movement and assess monthly impressions generated by our campaigns.

“Bike advertising is increasingly a compelling marketing solution due to its ability to reach consumer’s homes and its widespread exposure as bikes drive an average of 70km daily. Over 90% of clients renew - which benefits drivers and future drivers. Clients usually start small with 50-odd bikes with an initial three-month contract, then increase to 150 bikes for 12 months.” Says Jon Berkowitz when asked about the granular reach our advertising model has. 

In conclusion, reaching this milestone is not just a testament to our past accomplishments but also a promise of what lies ahead. Growing from 3 bikes in 2019 to over 1000 bikes on the road in 2024 and operating in 7 cities across South Africa, MotionAds has grown into a leading South African media owner and we remain committed to pushing boundaries and redefining what's possible in the out-of-home advertising industry. With the momentum of this milestone behind us, we're excited to embark on the next R10 000 000 in driver payments and continued empowerment and support of the delivery drivers.

Watch our latest video celebrating our R10 Million milestone and share in the nostalgia of our MotionAds journey

Watch our latest "Meet The Driver" video and find out more about the impact MotionAds has on our drivers lives. Our beautiful driver, Primrose, gave us a little insight into her life as a mom. With her 3 kids, all in school, she told us that her monthly payout from MotionAds helps her support her family in ways she wasn’t able to before.