One of the most important elements of a business is its branding and one of the most important elements of branding is brand recall. But how do you achieve this and stand out against the crowd and most importantly – your competitors? One of the best ways to promote brand recall is getting your brand out there – so potential customers are exposed to it frequently. This is a no-brainer when you have the budgets of huge international corporations – but what about a sole trader or small local business?
Well, that’s where vehicle wrapping comes in! It’s one of the most cost effective advertising campaigns you can run because it turns your fleet into a portable billboard which is exposed to thousands of people a day both on the road and when you’re parked up – meaning you are in front of the eyes of potential customers at all times.
Think about the amount of time your fleet is on the road and the ground they cover; this is likely to be within the local area or areas you serve which means you are directly serving your advertising to the relevant audience at all times.
Fleet branding can really show impressive results and you’ll be impressed by how many people will quote seeing one of your vehicles being the reason they enquired. If you really want to monitor this, it is worth having a dedicated phone number, email or website page to monitor how many people visit via that route to get a solid idea of its push.
What Do I Need To Consider For My Fleet Livery?
When thinking about fleet graphics, it’s important to think about the details as well as an impactful design. You should have important contact details such as a contact number, email and website as well as your branding front and centre. Of course, imagery and design need to stand out, so people take a second look. It is details like this which will see your fleet driving enquiries into your business.
Your fleet branding should be family appropriate to avoid complaints from members of the public, so be mindful of the imagery and wording you use. Inventive design and clever wording is the best route to take, as you want to stand out for the best reason!
As tempting as it can be to get as much wording as possible on your fleet livery, it is best to keep your message short and sweet. What is your brand? What do you do? Can you get this across with your brand name and a few bullet points or a catchy tagline? Can it be portrayed with imagery? Remember, your vehicle will be spotted by drivers and pedestrians as you go past them, so nobody has time to read reams of text!
You also need to be mindful of safety, so it is best to keep in mind the advice in Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual when choosing your design – especially if your vehicles will be travelling on busy or high-speed roads and stopping frequently.
What is Chapter 8?
Chapter 8, also known as reflective chevrons on the back of your vehicle, are considered good practise and a minimum requirement for vehicles in public areas and highways. EU recommendations specify the use of chevron markings on the rear of vehicles stopping or travelling on highways and high-speed roads. These chevrons should consist of alternate strips of red retro-reflective and fluorescent non-reflective yellow.
While this is not yet legislation, many companies have adopted this for safety within sites and is considered best practice. It is important to keep this in mind when considering your fleet graphics and vinyl wrapping design.
