02/ 05/ 2003
by Kathleen Landis
Outdoor advertising? Impossible you say. Not in the budget.
But how do small businesses like Rytina Cleaners and Linn's Plumbing afford it?
They advertise on the run by using their company vehicles as signs in motion.
"You already own the canvas," says Greg Cotter, president of Cotter Advertising in Dayton, Ohio. "Go ahead and spread the word by putting it on the vehicles that are out there in your community."
There are lots of options for getting your message on your vehicle. Signage applications include hand-painted, vinyl, decal, magnetic, and adhesive-backed "wraps" that partially or fully cover a vehicle.
Hand-painting lasts well but is difficult to remove. The design's complexity dictates the cost.
Vinyl signs, die-cut from carrier sheets, affix with adhesive and last three to five years. Removal requires some effort. Two high-quality, 12-by-24- inch panels cost from $100 to $300, installed. Cotter suggests that vinyl is "the cleanest, and most professional way to spot color or decorate a vehicle."
Decals, produced by a screen process, last like vinyl. Depending upon size, decals can be more difficult than vinyl to install. Bulk purchasing lowers costs, which makes them an option for fleets.
Since they lift for repositioning, "Magnetics are good for a business owner who doesn't want to permanently mark a vehicle," says Judy Loper, co-owner of Art Design & Sign in Chandler, Okla. They also make sense for multi-use vehicles.
The cost of two 12-by-24-inch installed panels is similar to vinyl's. New technology allows for photographic images on magnetics, which raises the cost slightly, says Loper.
Both Cotter and Loper caution against buying low-end magnetics, which Cotter likens to "refrigerator magnets."
Adhesive vinyl wraps are another means to visually depict a company's advertising message. "Wraps allow a small company to appear larger than they are," says Charlotte Angerer of Ferrari Color in Sacramento, Calif.
Mobile advertising works for Donna Linn, co-owner of Linn's Plumbing in Chandler, Okla. "Vehicle advertising is the most effective advertising we do," says Linn. "It's better than the phone book, or the signage at our warehouses."
Linn uses both vinyl and magnetic signs. She wanted the permanency of vinyl on the company's trucks, but the flexibility to add or remove signs from two personal vehicles. "When I'm in town in my own vehicle I like to advertise, so I use the magnetic signs," says Linn.
Toran Brown, president of Rytina Cleaners, purchased three partial vehicle wraps for their vans. For about $5,000, the vans showcase splashy, larger-than-life, four-color images of men's and women's clothing. From day one Brown heard feedback. "You get fantastic exposure," he says. "They're like moving billboards."
"The price-per-impression of vehicle graphics is dramatically less than any other form of advertising," adds Cotter. "It's good to get cheap public exposure of your brand."
4 Tips for Moving Signs
- Compare fonts, and readability from a distance. A 4-inch letter is visible from 100 feet; 3-inch from 72 feet; and 1-inch from 24 feet.
- Limit words, enlarge letters. Eight words or less are ideal.
- Consider color. Dark on white stands out.
- Who are you? Is your business name or service most important to potential customers? Place that on top.
This article originally appeared in the February/March 2003 issue of MyBusiness magazine.
