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martin obern marketing: marketing moment

It’s a wrap.
I imagine that ninety years ago, when Henry Ford’s Model AA truck rolled off of the assembly line, the first proud customer painted his company name on the side of this mechanical marvel.

Ninety years later, technology, like trucks, has evolved to include all sorts of cool techniques to tell the world, (well at least the neighbourhood), who you are and what you do. Hand painted lettering, vinyl stick-on letters, and magnetic signs have had their moment in the sun (and rain and snow) proclaiming who we are and what we do.

It’s like thinking of your vehicle’s sign as a super mobile billboard that is cheap to do and lasts the lifetime of the vehicle. The bonus is having a ‘mobile’ as opposed to a ‘fixed’ billboard. Brilliant, inexpensive marketing.

Enter the vehicle wrap
Computer generated printing on vinyl and other materials now allow us to actually ‘wrap’ our vehicle in our message. A real breakthrough in possibilities of what can achieved, but here’s where the wheels fall off the truck (Sorry!).

Most people blow it.
There’s so much on the side of the vehicle that it morphs from a mobile billboard into a cacophony of chaos. You’ve got about two seconds for someone to read your mobile billboard as you whizz by at 50 km (that’s about 30 mph for the un-metricated). Most will miss it. It’s like speed dating with two seconds to find your soul mate in a crowded room.

For some reason, because the technology permits, we feel compelled to use every single visual gimmick on our vehicle. Like painting your dining room and using every colour and shade in the paint store. Great for the digestion.

Radio stations and energy drink company vehicles seem to be the worst culprits. Every artist on the playlist or athlete that’s ever had a professional contract seems to be plastered on the side of these vehicles. And we’re supposed to read it.

Keep it simple
How do you avoid having your vehicle looking like a bad light show at a Grateful Dead concert? Here’s a few tips:
• Large dark type (letters) on light backgrounds
• Large light type on dark backgrounds
• Never put type over a photograph
• Never put an outline around type to make it stand out from the background - move the type or loose the background
• Only display one way to contact you - website - toll free number - no one can write down fifty phone numbers as you tear around the neighbourhood.
• State one message and keep it simple
• Add a vehicle number - preferably higher than #1 - create the illusion that you have a fleet.
• Keep your vehicle clean!

And the winner is...
Hands down and by a mile (kilometer?) is the package delivery company that rhymes with “Tex Mex” - simple and you can always recognize them - even blocks away. Or to quote Lennon and McCartney: Beep-beep, beep-beep, Yeah!.

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