Are your fleet graphics effective? After nearly 30 hours on the road I learned that there are some highly effective fleet graphics on America’s highways and some that not only are ineffective but send a poor message about the organization they represent. What story do your fleet graphics tell?
Knight Transportation Fleet Wrap & Decal Set
A couple of years ago, my wife and I drove to Orlando, Florida, and back. We’d never driven that far together. The good news is – after 29 hours on the road – we didn’t kill each other. She wasn’t certain of the outcome. I can be a bit annoying at times.
I’m in the fleet graphics business, so you’d expect I’d notice vehicle wraps and decals as we traveled, but my wife also paid attention. She’d point out vehicle graphics and critique their effectiveness, remark on eye-catching designs, and ask my opinion. Traveling at 70 MPH (Okay, I was cruisin’ at 76), it became apparent the most effective graphics were easy to read and highly recognizable. Some brands, like Knight Transportation, are known by shape and color alone, because a giant logo on the side of a 53′ semi-trailer pretty much says it all. So, are your fleet graphics effective? Are you taking advantage of the marketing opportunities of your fleet of vehicle?
“I’m talking about 18 wheels of rolling billboard. Is your fleet one of the thousands of trailers and box trucks traveling the highways and byways of America? If so, is your message being received by your target audience? Your fleet vehicles shouldn’t only deliver your product, but they should also deliver your message. What message do you want to deliver? Keep in mind that consumers only have seconds to view your fleet graphics. So, what’s the most important takeaway you want to share? What can you send with seven to ten words that will reach your target?” — Does Your Rolling Billboard Tell a Story?
Keep your message short, sweet, and simple
“Whether a consumer is driving, or walking in a business district, there are thousands of messages fighting for their attention — signs, billboards, and fleet graphics come at people in droves. It’s impossible to take them all in, and even the best only receive seconds of anyone’s attention.” — The Fleet Graphics 5 Second Rule.
“Your graphics should help tell your brand’s story and reflect your brand’s identity. Keep your graphics on message with branding that is consistently applied across your fleet. Even if there are variations in design, it is important to stay on brand and communicate the same overarching story. When wrapping your fleet, use consistent themes, colors and/or images to create comparable appearances. This helps increase brand recognition and provides more impactful reinforcement to your audience.” — 3M – Tips to maximize your wrap’s impact
Are you Missing an Opportunity?
My wife enjoyed full wraps such as Red Gold Tomatoes, but also found simple logos easy to identify. We saw plenty of them on the road. So, that’s the good news. The bad news – there were lots of graphics we couldn’t read or understand. There were many trucks with damaged and faded graphics, and far too many missed opportunities with 53 feet of nothing but white. An empty canvas. A blank billboard rolling south on I 65. Therefore, a missed opportunity.
You Never Got Around To It
“You’ve never wrapped your fleet. Your vehicles are an empty canvas. You’ve justified this by telling yourself you only have four trucks, or it cost too much, or you don’t have time to deal with it or… quit making excuses. So what if you only have four trucks, effective graphics can make it look like a fleet of 50 — suddenly it seems as if your vehicles are everywhere. And, it’s a fact that wraps pay for themselves. You say you don’t have time? Do you spend any time on marketing? If so vehicle graphics is where you should spend it, that is if you want the most cost effective use of your advertising dollar.” — Why Your Fleet Graphics Suck
A Blank Billboard
You wouldn’t pay for a roadside billboard and leave it blank, would you? So, why wouldn’t you advertise on your fleet vehicles? Vehicles graphics today are much more than identification. They’re a highly effective way to market your business. They solidify and promote your brand. Vehicle graphics inform the public. They remind clients what you do. And your employees take pride in quality designed wraps. So, are you on board or are you missing the boat? I mean trailer.
Vehicle branding isn’t a new practice. It has existed in one form or another for over a century. It’s practical, effective, and simply common sense for a company to double the use of their vehicles as moving advertisements for their business. The innovative nature of modern wraps and graphics has ensured that vehicle branding is not just beneficial but, for many brands, the benefits are vital.
“A white paper shared by the ATA (American Trucking Association) Vehicle Branding: Is there Hidden Value in Your Fleet? discovered that 75% of people developed a first impression about a company and its products from truck advertising. Furthermore, an impressive 91% of people stated that they not only noticed adverts on the side of trucks, but could also remember them days later. Most importantly, however, the survey revealed that almost a third of people would base a buying decision on the impression they got from vehicle advertisements.” — Vehicle Graphics: How to Achieve Maximum Branding Impact On Wheels
What are the Benefits?
The benefits of a vehicle wrap hit home when you compare the Cost-Per-Thousand Impressions (CPM) of other forms of advertising (Statistics courtesy of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America):
- A 30-second prime-time spot in the top 100 television markets costs $17.78 per thousand impressions
- A 60-second drive-time ad in the top 100 radio markets costs $8.61 per thousand impressions
- A one-third b/w page ad in the top 100 newspaper markets costs $22.95 per thousand impressions
- A four-color one-page ad in the top 23 magazine publications costs $9.35 per thousand impressions
- The average for all forms of billboard ads costs $2.18 per thousand impressions
- Vehicle wraps cost $.77 per thousand impressions
Does Your Fleet Stand Out? Are Your Fleet Graphics Effective?
So, is your fleet among those my wife noticed in a good way? Or is it one of those with ineffective designs, battered materials, or blank canvasses? “Everyday, we are bombarded with information. See this, buy that, try this, and look at me! It doesn’t change when we get in our vehicles — radio ads, billboards, highway information signs, and vehicle graphics all bombard us. What kind of impression does your vehicle leave?” — What kind of impression does your fleet make?
Are Your Fleet Graphics Impressive?
So, what kind of impression do your fleet vehicles make? If you’re uncertain, Contact Us and send a photo of your fleet graphics – we’d be happy to review it, or just let my wife know when you’re on the road. She’ll be happy to tell you what she thinks. If you’d like to view more effective vehicle graphics, check out our Portfolio.
If you liked this …
Did you enjoy this post? If so, you might also like this, Fleet Graphics Planner, Here’s an excerpt to get you started, “For most businesses fleet graphics are a significant investment. And it’s not only the cost but also the time vehicles are out of service. With this big of an investment in money, time, and resources, doesn’t it make sense to pre-plan? So, here’s your fleet graphics planner.”
Like what you’re reading? Join us on Twitter and Facebook, and we can continue the conversation.
Leave A Comment