STORYLINE

Veilad Wants to Help You Power Your Vehicle

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A popular program in Lahaina that offers charging credits for electric vehicles in exchange for advertising is set to expand to all of Hawaii. The expansion comes just one year before the state mandated goal of having all ground transportation use renewable energy sources. Started in early 2043, the plan is a joint venture between Veilcorp spinoff, Veilad, and Phxicom.

Veilad has helmed many successful campaigns over the years including branded Reality Machine merchandise, and ads while you travel through the veil, but it was their corporate sponsored animal campaign that served as inspiration for the charging program. “The safety of the Duracave elephant herd served as the impetus for our charging initiative. We thought that giving an owner the chance to brand their vehicle in exchange for Veilcorp charging credit was a win-win situation. However, it wasn’t until we learned about Phxicom’s amazing sprayable display technology that our plan really took off,” says Veilad’s president Brie Howard.

Phxicom spokesperson Scott Parata adds, “Veilcorp has more charging stations than any other company on the island, and with Hawaii’s push to expand the use of EVs, the program sounded like an amazing opportunity. We’re glad we get a chance to show off the capabilities of our sprayable display while doing something to help the environment.”

Owners simply bring their vehicles to a participating facility and have the sprayable display installed on part, or all of their vehicle, depending on which plan they choose. Veilad then runs various advertisements that change depending on location. At the end of the month enrollees get a charging credit usable at any Veilcorp charging station.

The basic program covers the doors and hood of a vehicle and displays a different ad a few times a day. Brie says that for the average driver, the basic program can cover about 25% of their monthly charging bill. The premium program covers the entire vehicle with the Phxicom technology, and offers a much bigger payout.

In addition to covering your whole vehicle, the premium program is much more advanced. Sensors in the display track where a driver is in real time, and displays ads for businesses nearby or of particular interests. For example, if you find yourself near Black Rock Beach, ads relating to swimming and snorkeling will display. Further, the technology will play an accompanying audio track to ads if it senses it is in a high traffic area, regardless of whether or not it is being driven. According to Howard, participants in the premium charging program can expect to never pay a charging bill again.

While the program is a popular one, it is not without its detractors. Many consider the branded vehicles an eyesore. Others complain that the audio ads amount to nothing more than noise pollution, and that they disturb the peace and tranquility of natural areas. Maui police say that complaints about loudly playing ads number in the thousands. There’s also the problem of inappropriate items slipping through. Veilad admits that “there were some kinks to work out at first” but emphasizes that complaints about questionable content have shrunk to almost zero.

However, local resident Elizabeth Stonegate says the problem has been an ongoing one for her.

“It’s to the point where I don’t dare drive the van anymore. The problem started when I took my son and some of his friends to soccer practice. I saw people staring as I drove in, and assumed that they were staring at me. As President of the Tanager Lane Home Owners Association I get recognized a lot, it’s actually a little tiring. Anyway, after we stopped and got out I saw what everyone was staring at. My entire van had been turned into a disgusting advertisement for a questionable dating site. Then the audio began and I was mortified. Since then many of my son’s friends have asked if they could start carpooling with us. Even worse, Shelby had the audacity to question my judgment and fitness as head of the HOA. Even though everyone knows she’s still upset about the whole cat carrier incident, she never dared test my authority before. I work hard on projecting a perfect image. I will not be brought down because some company thinks they can make a buck off of lonely soccer parents.”

Brie reiterates that such issues are the exception rather than the rule and says that Veilad continues to work hard to screen their ad inventory. “For most people it’s an easy way to drive without paying for fuel. It offers valuable information to potential consumers, and is the best way available for a business to communicate its message. If you can live with driving a theme car, we’ll pay for the fuel,” she says.

STORYLINE

Company trying to bring gambling to veil travel hits government roadblock

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The Hawaiian Gaming Control Board has secured an injunction against a company seeking to offer gambling to people traveling through the veil. For over 6 months customers have been shown ads during the veiling process, and Gammbet says they just want to offer travelers another entertainment option while in the matter stream. Because the gambling would be occurring during the transport process, the company claimed that they didn’t fall within any recognized jurisdiction and therefore didn’t need to secure a gaming license. Hawaii, among many other states, disagreed. The matter will now be decided in the courts. Gammbet’s service was set to start next week.

Almost 3 billion people traveled through the veil last year and Reed Gammen, President and founder of Gammbet, says he just wants to add a little fun to the process. Gammen says he and his co-founders came up with the idea 2 years ago while traveling on business. “The first time you travel through the veil is amazing, the 10th time is interesting, but once you’ve gone through the gateway a couple dozen times it’s lost its sparkle. We talked about how much fun it would be if you could have a spin on a roulette wheel while you were veiling, and started looking into how hard it would be to do.” The idea was put on a back burner until last year when Veilcorp implemented their Veilad program. “Once that technology was in place we started pushing really hard,” Gammen says.

Reed says that he and his partners looked into the applicable laws carefully before moving forward and is certain that Gammbet is both legal and outside of the State’s jurisdiction. For their part Veilad released a statement which reads: “We thoroughly vet our advertising and entertainment partners to ensure that they follow all pertinent laws and deliver a quality product for our customers. We would be happy to include Gammbet into our offerings should they be successful in court or secure the required paperwork.”

Gammen says that he’s confident the gaming authorities are on the wrong side of history.

“Gaming is one of the oldest and most loved forms of entertainment. Dice were one of mankind’s first creations and are at least 5,000 years old. Gambling is an essential part of the human experience. I believe everyone has the right to put some money down, stare probability in the face and say, ‘I defy you!’ Modern life has become too ordered and secure for most. There is an urge deep inside of all of us to go against the odds and reach for the golden ring. I just want to offer people a chance to tap into that fundamental need and give it a scratch.”

While not quite as philosophical, Gammbet’s lawyers agree. They say that the courts are still deciding many cases involving questions of jurisdiction inside the matter stream, and are convinced that their client will be victorious. Kurt Bickley partner at Suter, Stine, Burn & Partners (SSB&P) says that he has no doubt that the State’s injunction will be overturned.

“For thousands of years people happily played games of chance without government interference. Only for a very brief period of time, in a few places, have those in power decided to ban the pastime for what they consider are moral reasons. However, we are living in a new age thanks to the veil. We are at the beginning and have a chance to do it right this time. We can make decisions reflecting our modern understanding of the world and not be tied to the thinking of people who wrote their laws and ideas with goose feathers. The State seems to be betting that the courts will forget that laws need to be passed before they can be enforced. We think that is a bad bet.”

Experts seem to be split, with some saying that the laws that cover internet gambling should apply to gambling mid-transport. Others disagree saying that it’s up to legislatures to pass laws specific to veil travel instead of leaving it up to the courts to try and color in the grey areas. What they do agree on is that the case is sure to end up in an appeals court no matter which side wins this first round. For now, Veilcorp customers won’t have the opportunity to place a bet in the few moments they spend between locations.

STORYLINE

Reality Machine wants to sell your products

You are receiving this message because your business has been identified as a potential partner for an exciting new promotion with Veilcorp’s most successful spin-off, Reality Machine.

You already know how groundbreaking our technology is. Reality Machine has long been the industry standard in remote commerce. Our proven track record and quality products speak for themselves. Voted one of the most important inventions in modern history, our RMII models took the world by storm. Our remote vending machines offer companies the ability to sell products in more locations, at a lower cost than ever before.

By now you’ve heard the buzz about the speed and capabilities of our new RMIII line. The rumors are true. It’s internal recycler is faster and larger. Its materials printer is capable of creating almost anything given the proper resources. This version has so many upgrades that it would take pages to list them all. What it doesn’t have is you. That’s why we asked for help from the team at Veilad. They have been recognized by numerous organizations as one of the most innovative and fastest growing in the industry.

That’s right! The minds that brought you two of the most successful ad campaigns in history are joining our team. Their corporate sponsored animal campaign was hailed as one of the most important conservation programs in history. Due to its amazing success, the wild cheetah was almost saved from extinction. Billions of people worldwide can still watch the Duracave herd of elephants in their natural habitat thanks to their sponsorship initiative, but that’s not all.

Never content to rest on their laurels, Veilad created a way to display ads while you’re traveling through the veil. Their gateway program remains the most successful ad campaign ever created, generating over $10 billion dollars in revenue and reaching over a billion people so far this year. If you think that’s good, just wait until you hear what they’re planning next.

Veilad wants to help you and Reality Machine come together by offering unique branding opportunities. Every thriving business knows how important branding is. Consumer studies have shown one thing consistently over the years, branding adds perceived value to products. When presented with two identical products people choose the branded product as the most valuable even when they are unfamiliar with the brand. It is that perceived value that we plan on capturing with your help.

By agreeing to add your brand to the generic items already produced by the Reality Machine line, you can expand your reach at no additional cost, and allow us to raise the value of our crafted products. Imagine coupling the reach, convenience, and prestige of the Reality Machine brand with the recognition of your already established products. Best of all, Reality Machine does all the work. Avoid the headache of manufacturing and distributing your wares by letting us take care of it for you. Our machines are more than capable of creating products that meet your high standards, and your name brand recognition would allow us to charge a premium price.

We are even offering a preferred partnership program with a select group of interested businesses. We will work with your design team to craft logos and create tailored marketing campaigns to launch exclusive lines of products. Our research shows that consumers would be happy to pay an additional 10% on any item they felt was made exclusively for our vending machines. Let’s put different labels on things, and leverage our perceived values together. Your bottom line will thank you! Just contact our sales and marketing department and we’ll start designing our future together.