Vehicles with Va Va Voom: Livery, Sign Writing and Wrapping

For those in the haulage industry whose livelihood lies out on the open road, one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of marketing your business is right there in front of your nose. Investing in well-designed truck livery gets your brand out there in front of countless consumers every day, all over the country.

Reap the Benefits

The benefits of vehicle advertising are manifold and include (but are certainly not restricted) to the following aspects:

Longevity: Truck wrapping is a one-off job that can last up to two years, unlike other forms of advertising that can all too quickly become the proverbial "tomorrow's fish and chip wrapper". It's designed to withstand all kinds of weather conditions so is highly cost effective in relation to the original investment.

It's got an increased audience: Truck livery gets your brand out to places more targeted advertising can't reach. While mass media and online marketing needs to be tailored to a specific market, vehicle signage is directed to appeal to the everyman, everywhere. UK government statistics report that, on average, over 3,000 people get eyes on a delivery vehicle every day it's on the road. Not bad stats in terms of ROI.

It's hard working: Vehicle branding keeps on working even when you're not actually driving. No matter where you park, day or night (unless garaged of course!), your branding is still visible. Even when your lorry is in for repairs or maintenance, it's doing its own kind of silent networking for you.  

It creates cohesive branding: The more often consumers see your branding the more they will identify with and remember it. For those businesses with more than one vehicle, creating a cohesive image through branding (with a consistent appearance over the fleet) can significantly boost your company profile.

Options for Truck Livery

With today's sophisticated materials and techniques, "wrapping" is far more popular than applying permanent paint graphics or colour to a lorry. Of course painting is still used in some cases if a more permanent effect is required, but the process is far more labour intensive, with the need to sand, prime and then paint as opposed to the more streamlined method of wrapping.

Wrapping is the process of applying a printed vinyl wrap over the top of the original paintwork of the vehicle. It can be removed without damaging the paint and, in fact, serves to protect the paintwork underneath. Because wraps can be custom created to any colour or design, they have opened up a wealth of marketing/advertising/branding possibilities. These can include simple lettering, decals, and part or full vinyl wraps including 3D designs.

The process can be broken down into three parts:

• Design – includes all measurements and creative/branding considerations
• Production – in which the graphic is printed and then laminated with UV protection
• Application – the graphic or decal is applied to the vehicle.

Sell Off Your Space

An alternative to splashing your own brand all over your truck is to splash someone else's message and make money from it. Truck advertising has the potential to be extremely lucrative, depending on the reach of your operation. For anyone who travels the length and breadth of the country, the rewards of selling off advertising space on your lorry can be fantastic. It doesn't have to be the entire vehicle, and you can have different prices for the back, sides or full cover. Even if you only travel certain routes there are endless opportunities with businesses that want to target specific audiences.

Investing in Truck Livery

If you've ever advertised your services or business in the mass media or trade journals you'll know just what an expensive investment it can be. Even maintaining a reasonably high-profile online presence can see your costs accumulate to alarming levels. In contrast, truck livery is a surprisingly affordable and very accessible marketing tactic.