Companies are beginning to understand they shouldn’t only identify their vehicles with a company name and vehicle identification, but they should also advertise on the vehicle. A vehicle or trailer is a rolling billboard. Organizations that continue to limit vehicle graphics to identification, and not advertisement, are missing what may be the lowest cost per impression advertising available. 

“Vehicle branding isn’t a new practice, and 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 

So, Why Haven’t You Advertised on Your Fleet?

“People can always find reasons to avoid taking action, to delay making a decision. However, there is almost no good reason not to advertise on organizational vehicles. Maybe if the vehicle is temporary or being replaced — just maybe, or if a company has no marketing budget. If a business does have a marketing budget vehicle graphics are one of the most cost effective methods of adverting.” — No Excuse NOT to Advertise on Your Vehicles

Here are the facts

“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

According to Driving Revenues — a vehicle advertising firm in Washington DC — a $20,000 advertising investment buys:

  • Radio attracts 900,000 listeners in six weeks with ten to twelve 30-second spots
  • Value Pak offers reach 600,000 with 100,000 addresses per drop, and your client is just one of many advertisers included in the packet
  • Billboards receive 700,000 impressions per month
  • Direct mail reaches 20,000 names with one postcard mailer

Let’s compare the advertising above to wraps. If you spend $3000 on a wrap, and keep the vehicle for five years:

  • A vehicle receives 30,000 – 70,000
  • Five years = 1825 days
  • 30,000 impressions per day (low-end) = 54,750,000 views
  • If you wrapped six vehicles for a cost of $18,000
  • This is over 328 MILLION views over the span of five years” — Check out these vehicle graphics facts.

Are you throwing leads away?

Advertising on side of truck

Advertise on Your Vehicles

If your fleet vehicles aren’t branded with graphics then your business is missing the boat. Ask your team this. “When’s the last time a prospect went to your website or called your office because they saw your fleet graphics? If it’s been a while or you’re not sure, you may want to take a hard look at your fleet graphics. Are the decals on your vehicles little more than identification. Or are you taking the opportunity to market your brand on your cars and trucks?” — Fleet Graphics Generate Leads: A Customer Testimonial

ROI 

“So, what does the investment buy you? Dan Rozzo, marketing innovation manager fleet & OEM markets, Avery Dennison, said ROI can be difficult to measure. However, he cites surveys conducted by the ATA and Robinson Yesawich & Pepperdine Inc., that state 97% of individuals surveyed noticed the advertising on fleet vehicles and 98% felt the ad portrayed a positive image of the advertiser. On top of that, 29% of those surveyed said they would base a buying decision on those impressions.” — HDT Trucking Info

According to the The American Trucking Association’s study. The Visual Impact of Trucks in Traffic, showed: “96% noticed truck side ads 98% said fleet graphics created a positive image for the company 96% said fleet graphics had more impact than billboards. 75% of people developed an impression about a company and its products 29% would base a buying decision on the impression.”

But wait, there’s more! 

  • 75% of the people surveyed developed a first impression about a company and its products from truck advertising.
  • 91% of people notice ads mounted on the sides of trucks and can recall the ad days later.
  • Ads are viewed by business customers as well as retail consumers.

And this…

  • Depending on the size of the city, a single vehicle wrap can generate 30,000 to 70,000 impressions daily
  • Fleet vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times greater than any other form of advertising
  • 96 percent of participants felt vehicle wraps were more effective than billboard ads.– Wheels.com

“The studies have been completed, and the statistics are in. In almost every circumstance fleet graphics pay for themselves and more. More consumers see fleet graphics than many other forms of adverting. Vehicle graphics add to brand awareness and continue to do so as long as the car or truck is in operation.” — The Cost of Not Wrapping your Fleet

“Vehicle graphics should be considered an advertising investment, and one that has a lower cost and higher ROI (Return on Investment) than most advertising strategies. Effective vehicle graphics are available in a wide range of applications at various price points. When vehicle graphics are mentioned, most people think of full wraps, but that’s only a small part of what can be done. Decals, properly placed on a vehicle can be just as effective and less money. How much does a Vehicle Wrap Cost?

My company isn’t big enough, and I don’t have a fleet of vehicles

What’s that got to do with it? If a marketing strategy works…it works. And, in this case, it works on one vehicle or 500.

My vehicle is too small, too old, too new, too…

Get over it. Unless it’s for sale, your vehicle is not too anything. Vehicle advertising works on Mini Coopers, golf carts, and motorcycles. Vehicle graphics can protect the finish on new vehicles and good graphics can make an old vehicle look new.

Our harsh winters would ruin it

That might be so—if an unknowledgeable provider furnished you with adhesive vinyl graphics not suited to your needs or weather. 3M, Avery, and others offer hundreds of materials for every need and climate.” — No Excuse NOT to Advertise on Your Vehicles

So, when’s the last time a prospect contacted your business and explained they’d seen your company vehicle on the road, at a neighbors home, or parked at a business? How often do customers comment on your vehicle graphics? When’s the last time an employee driving the company truck told you that someone asked them for a business card? If the answer is that you can’t remember a customer contacting your team after they saw the graphics on your fleet. It might be time to rethink your fleet graphics. If we can answer any questions be sure to Contact Us. We’ll help you drive your message home.

GET A FREE QUOTE

TKO Graphix is a national fleet and vehicle graphics company helping customers since 1985. We provide full-service graphic design, digital printing, screen printing, graphics installation, and removal of large format graphics.