Branding is an all-important component for every business today. Savvy marketers must find effective ways to brand themselves without breaking the bank. When planning how and where to brand, everything a business owns becomes a potential space to advertise a product or service.
Traditionally, that means signs on windows, doors, walls, floors—any location that makes sense for graphics or a sign becomes real estate to ensure customers see something that interests them or extends brand identity.
EXPAND THE BRAND
A storefront or office is not the only thing companies own and operate. One proven but often overlooked branding tactic is using vehicle graphics to promote a business or service. Vehicles, both personal and private, represent unused real estate that serve as a potential location to showcase a company’s brand. Additionally, vehicles reach prospects that storefronts cannot because they are mobile and help spread brand awareness to those that may not otherwise see a business or storefront. Vehicle graphics are signs created specifically for cars, trucks, and other fleet vehicles using vinyl decals or stickers.
From simple graphics like a company name, website, and phone number on a door to more complex vehicle wraps (a vinyl cover wrapped around the vehicle), graphics are as essential to a business as advertising, promotions, and customer prospecting. While larger, more eye-catching designs are more likely to get noticed and more people are likely to remember it, even small, simple designs are effective if used correctly. One example of this might be the local company with a clever or catchy slogan that everyone recalls.
OPTIMIZE IMPRESSIONS
According to the American Trucking Association, the average intra-city delivery truck with graphics generates 16 million visual impressions in a year. This creates tremendous branding potential when it comes to advertising and reaching millions of potential customers. No other form of advertising is as cost-effective: it is estimated that a vehicle wrap costs around 4 cents per thousand impressions, while other forms of advertising cost significantly more.
There are a number of reasons why fleet graphics are so successful:
- Vehicle graphics are non-intrusive. How many times have we cursed an ad that pops up while we’re watching an online video? Those types of invasive ads often give us a negative impression of the advertiser. But with vehicle advertising, the graphics we see are far less intrusive and therefore, far less annoying.
- Vehicle graphics reach the widest demographic range.
Other than geographic location, vehicle graphics do not really target a specific audience. - Vehicle graphics boost recongition.
Vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times more effectively than the next nearest advertising medium.
It’s easy to see why using vehicle graphics for promotional branding has become increasingly popular in recent years and why more companies than ever are favoring it over other forms of advertising.
6 GRAPHICS TIPS
Interested in using vehicles to promote a brand? Here are six tips for branding vehicles the right way:
1. Find the right graphics partner.
No matter the size or scope of the project, choose a reputable company large enough to offer multiple graphics solutions but also offers unmatched service and treats each client like they are the only client.
2. Determine key advertising message and budget.
Is the desire to increase awareness of the brand and company name or to promote a specific product or service? How simple or complex should the message be? Knowing these things helps determine the type of graphics needed.
3. Determine how long a message should be promoted.
This helps a graphics partner choose the right substrate. Why pay more for a material guaranteed to last five years if three months are all that’s needed to promote a special event?
4. Allow the graphics vendor to help decide how the message is best showcased on the company’s vehicle(s).
Need a full wrap with all the bells and whistles, or is the message clearer with simple graphics on the rear trailer doors? Here are some terms to know when considering graphic placement:
- Full Wrap:
These graphics generally cover the entire vehicle surface. - Half Wrap:
Graphics are applied to part of the vehicle, such as the sides, hood, or rear doors. - Window Perfs:
These colorful, hole-laden graphic films are applied to the vehicle windows often to accentuate the larger design. - Letters and Spot Graphics:
These are often simple, inexpensive, one- or two-color graphics used to display a logo, tagline, or other marketing message.
5. Be sure the graphic elements chosen enhance other advertising.
For example, if a company is opening a new location and local newspaper ads were placed to promote the event, it would be in the company’s best interest to have some creative graphics made for fleet vehicles that also promote the event. No matter what the graphics say, they should always reflect the message and brand image the company wants to convey to others.
6. Use a reputable vendor for graphics installations. Printing technology is more advanced than ever. This is great when it comes to the quality of the graphics but also means an experienced company that guarantees its workmanship should install the graphics to ensure a high-quality result.
Companies looking to grow business should consider incorporating fleet graphics into marketing or advertising. They’ll be sure to see a lot of bang for their investment buck.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The Vernon Company (Vernon Graphics) is a fourth-generation family business that manufactures graphics and sells promotional products to help businesses increase sales, improve profits, and solve marketing challenges. Vernon Graphics serves more than 30,000 customers with 420 account executives and sales managers throughout the US and Puerto Rico. Find out more, visit www.vernongraphics.com.
MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSUE
Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to the FREE Digital Edition of Modern WorkTruck Solutions magazine.
