How to get brand value from your fleet. Pt. I
In today’s challenging business landscape, companies often find themselves striving to shrink expenses as much as possible while still maintaining their corporate image and delivering maximum value to customers and shareholders. And because marketing budgets are usually among the first casualties in cost-cutting initiatives, companies often have to get creative in order to remain visible in the marketplace.
VEHICLE BRANDING AS ‘ORGANIC MARKETING’
One strategy many companies have adopted is “organic marketing” – that is, turning assets that are already in use for other purposes into effective marketing tools. Organisations with vehicle fleets are in an advantageous position in this regard. A company vehicle can often easily be transformed from a single purpose operational means-to-an-end into an effective marketing tool to support your corporate image.
All it takes is a little vehicle branding.
Running a print ad, whether in a magazine or newspaper, has little impact beyond the fleeting first impression turn of the page. Radio advertising reaches a small segment of the population who listens to that particular program; and TV – if included in the marketing plan – is very expensive and time consuming. A one-time investment in vehicle wrapping can yield returns for your brand message beyond the ROI.
Graphics can be added to your vehicles to create and strengthen awareness of your company brands, business strategies and services. Whether your vehicles feature a simple logo or a full coverage “billboard”-style wrap advertisement, they can promote a moving, dynamic, high-impact advertising strategy that can turn heads, increase brand recognition and grow business.
Every day, your vehicles drive past thousands of people who could be among your best customers, prospects, suppliers and/or investors. But if your vehicles are unmarked with company branding, they likely pass unnoticed by these key audiences, and you may have missed an important opportunity to grow your business.
Vehicle advertising is certainly not a new phenomenon – for more than a century, companies have recognised the economic value of having a company vehicle double as a mobile advertising campaign. But as more and more research emerges, the more apparent the benefits of vehicle branding become. For example, according to a recently study conducted by American Trucking Association and Robinson, Yesawich & Pepperdine, vehicle graphics offer many advantages:
- 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 lorries and can recall the ad days later.
- Nearly a third of people would base a buying decision on the impression they got from a vehicle livery.
- Vehicles are the best way to provide targeted, mobile coverage over an entire marketing area.
- Ads are viewed by business customers as well as retail consumers.