Your operating budget likely accommodates a sizable investment in your fleet. Delivery vans? Heavy-duty hauliers? Whatever the mix, these vehicles are the pulse of your logistics. However, a factory-white finish means every mile driven is a missed marketing opportunity.
Advertisers have put up stationary billboards for decades, though they have a critical flaw: they are reliant on customers coming to them. Your fleet isn’t stationary; it goes where people are! It drives through business districts, stops in commercial areas, and parks in neighbourhoods. This unrivalled mobility is a uniquely valuable marketing opportunity that other advertising tools simply can’t match.
Commercial truck wrapping is a sure way to turn your essential business expenses into lucrative, business-boosting operational assets. Transform your vehicles into advertising powerhouses that increase brand recognition by applying high-quality vinyl custom graphics that deliver consistent, revenue-generating advertising at zero recurring monthly expense.
What is Commercial Truck Wrapping?
Truck wrapping involves covering the vehicle’s exterior with a large vinyl decal that protects the paint and is not permanent like a paint job. Wrapping can be done with either a full wrap or a partial wrap.
The vinyl wrapping technology is highly advanced. Companies like 3M and Avery Dennison produce the vinyl used to create wraps, which is durable and can feature bright colours and high-resolution graphics. Professionally installed wraps shield the paint underneath from UV damage, scratches, and debris.
The Economics of Mobile Advertising
Like any other expense, marketing costs need to be justified. Radio, print, and TV ads incur recurring charges in the hope of gaining visibility. Social media ads, on the other hand, are effective but stop working once the ad budget is depleted.
The difference with wraps is that they create a permanent ad for a one-time charge, including design and installation. Most wraps last between 3 and 7 years, providing long-lasting advertising results.
Consider the impressions. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) estimated that vehicle wraps can generate 30,000 to 70,000 impressions per day, depending on the city and route. When breaking down the cost per thousand impressions (CPM), vehicle wraps tend to be more cost-effective than radio or billboard advertising, making them an excellent option for advertising.
Designing for the Road: The 3-Second Rule
A good truck wrap requires a different design approach than a brochure or a website. You don’t have a captive audience; you have a moving one. Truck wraps are an example of advertising in which the audience has a limited time to see and process the message.
Prioritize Readability
Your brand name and core service have to be recognised the moment they are seen. Script fonts and other styles that are difficult to read from a distance should be avoided. Attention-grabbing colours that contrast each other are best.
Limit the Text
A truck wrap isn’t a menu, so don’t make the mistake of listing all your services. Instead, include your main selling point, your website, and your phone number. If someone is interested, they can visit your website for more information.
Use High-Impact Imagery
If you are a plumber, you do not need to list all of your services. Your picture of a nice bathroom with a technician will communicate much more quickly and effectively than a list.
Options to Fit Every Budget
Many people think they need to wrap an entire vehicle to make effective use of fleet graphics. Different tiers of graphics exist depending on your budget and marketing needs.
Full Wraps
Full wraps cover every inch of a vehicle’s painted surface. This provides maximum protection for a vehicle’s paint and the most noticeable advertising. Your van will go from generic to being a memorable part of your brand.
Partial vehicle wraps cost less than full vehicle wraps, but still maximise your advertising potential. Good designers can use tricks to make a partial vehicle wrap look like a full vehicle wrap. For example, a designer can use the vehicle’s original colours to make it appear that the wrap covers a larger area than it actually does.
Some businesses are more comfortable taking a minimalistic approach. For those businesses, spot graphics is a good option. Spot graphics are the application of a logo, a tagline, and contact information, usually on the rear doors and the back of the vehicle. While spot graphics are less immersive than a wrap, they do lend the car a more professional look.
Wear and tear on fleet vehicles is an inevitable part of the job. As a fleet manager, you know cars, like trucks, are depreciating assets. Scratches, sun fading, and ghosting all lower a truck’s resale value, which is why many fleet managers use vehicle wraps. Vehicle wraps protect the exterior of a vehicle while offering advertising potential and, in the long run, will help preserve a vehicle’s resale value.
A complete vinyl wrap protects by absorbing impacts from the sun and road debris. When upgrading your fleet or reselling the vehicle, the wrap can be removed to reveal the vehicle’s factory-fresh paint, thereby increasing the resale value of each car in the fleet by thousands and enhancing the wrap’s ROI.
Why Professional Installation is important
Vinyl can be purchased online, but commercial wrapping is a craft best left to experts. A poor installation can result in bubbles, peeling, and warped graphics, damaging your reputation.
Like Wrap Expert, professional installers can appreciate the many intricacies of commercial vehicles. They identify how to prep the car to maximise adhesion and how to post-heat vinyl to set the material memory. When you invest in professional wrapping, it can last for years rather than months.
Common Questions About Truck Wraps
Will a wrap hurt my truck’s paint?
No, as long as the paint is in decent shape (OEM factory paint) when the wrap gets applied. Actually, the paint is protected by the vinyl. Damage only happens when paint is already chipping or the wrap is removed improperly.
How long do commercial truck wraps last?
With proper care, a high-quality commercial wrap can last 3 to 7 years. The vertical surfaces (sides of the truck) tend to last longer than the horizontal surfaces (hood and roof) due to direct sun exposure.
Can you wash a wrapped truck?
Yes, but only by hand. It’s recommended that you avoid power washers; you can use a pressure washer, but avoid the edges of the vinyl, or they will start to lift. Do NOT use an automatic car wash with stiff bristles; they can scratch the laminate.
Will it be hard to change the design later if I want to?
Of course not. One of the best things about vinyl is its flexibility. If you change your brand, your number, or introduce a new product, the wrap can be removed and replaced without damaging the vehicle.
Promote Your Brand on the Road
Your vehicles are already on the move, so they may as well start advertising too! Wrapping your trucks and vans will get your brand noticed, protect your fleet, and save you money. Your competitors will see your wrapped vehicles on the road and instantly know that your business will be visible to potential customers every day.
Don’t let your vehicles go unwrapped. Contact a car wrapping company to wrap your fleet.