By Edg Adrian A. Eva, Reporter
REVADS, the Philippines’ first app-based motorcycle ad platform, is helping startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) gain visibility in high-traffic areas.
The Pasig-based company, founded in October 2024, aims to level the playing field for smaller businesses by offering out-of-home advertising through motorcycles that travel through high-foot-traffic areas, particularly along the busiest roads of the Philippine capital.
“If you look around for burger brands, for example on the road, I bet you’ll just find McDonald’s, Jollibee — the bigger ones, right?” Lance Arthur S. Martinez, RevAds founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview.
“Now, we’re opening it up for smaller businesses to compete in an area where there are real impressions. Smaller businesses normally have no access,” he added.
By mounting advertising panels on the back of motorcycles, businesses can promote their brands while providing drivers with additional passive income as they go about their usual work with other app-based motorcycle services.
RevAds’ main product is its rolling billboards, which start at P4,000 a month with no long-term commitment — a more accessible alternative compared with standard billboards along EDSA, which cost P200,000 to P400,000 a month.
Mr. Martinez said the platform’s affordability and accessibility stem from its app-based model, which allows brands and riders to connect directly.
Through this service, a brand’s ad stays on the rider’s ad panel uninterrupted for an entire month.
“Your brand can reach homes, hospitals and business districts where only the bigger brands usually compete,” he said.
The motorcycle ad company also offers other services such as motorcades for larger ad campaigns.
The out-of-home advertising market in the Philippines is projected to reach $316.47 million this year, with traditional formats such as transit ads and billboards accounting for the biggest share at $198.29 million, according to German data platform Statista.
But for smaller companies with limited resources, advertising is a bigger gamble. To ensure its effectiveness, Mr. Martinez said the RevAds platform strategically selects riders who often travel within the brand’s target area.
“We save the riders’ location preferences for targeting purposes,” he said. “Secondly, we consider the amount of exposure they’re generating. Their equipment, as mentioned earlier, includes tracking capabilities.”
Brands, companies, and campaigns can also add personalized QR (quick response) codes to make their ads more interactive, allowing viewers to be directly routed to their links.
Mr. Martinez said the company has helped about 600 motorcycle drivers on the RevAds fleet by giving them additional income.
He added that half of the monthly fees paid by businesses, or about P2,000 monthly, is the typical amount a rider earns, provided they reach at least 1,500 kilometers a month.
Mr. Martinez said there has been strong interest, with 10,000 motorcycle riders on their waiting list. They expect to expand their team to 2,500 riders by the end of the year.
“Our goal really is to make it available across all metropolitan cities in the Philippines because the more we help brands get their message out on the road, the more value we are able to add for our hard-working riders on the streets,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
