by: Tim McCarthy

What does your vehicle say about your business? You drive to work, commute through traffic, stop at the shop for refreshments, park up outside your business, take care of deliveries and run some errands during the day, finally, you drive home in the evening. How many people did you pass or meet today? All potential customers, but did they notice you?

Grab a significant advertising advantage over your competitors by covering your vehicle with your business image or message in the form of an eye-catching digitally printed self adhesive vinyl advertisement known as a vehicle wrap and take it for a drive around town to promote your business.

Vehicle wrapping is now being recognized as an extremely cost effective and unique form of outdoor media for all sizes of businesses and company promotions. Many companies are finding out that vehicle advertising wraps and full colour fleet and car graphics are a great way to reach new and existing customers. Compared to other forms of media, wraps are extremely cost effective and generate millions of impressions each year.

An innovative method of advertising a business by creating a moving billboard on a vehicle, vehicle wraps provide companies with a method of advertising on cars in three dimensional form, providing an extremely high retention rate among those who see the vehicle. Vehicle wrap advertising uses semi-permanent graphics that can be removed without harm to the vehicle if desired. It is typically used on vans, but also on cars, trucks, fleet vehicles, buses, trains and even aircraft, in fact anything on wheels or that has an exterior shell.

Many customers with vehicle wraps take advantage of their advertising in areas that normally would be very expensive. Booking advertising at such venues as trade shows, sports events, concerts and grand openings may need to be done well in advance and rates may be very expensive, this is ideal for your wrapped vehicle, simply drive around or park at a conspicuous location. Another advantage of this type of advertising is it is not like print, radio, or television. It cannot be switched off and the channel cannot be changed.

There is no standard price for advertising wraps which are normally installed by specialist signage companies, It depends on a number of factors including the total number of vehicles to be wrapped, how much printing is involved, how much vinyl material is required per wrap, designer time, how many installers will be involved and how long it takes to fit, All that becomes the basis for pricing a project. Wrapping a vehicle is a sophisticated process of being able to print on vinyl films and perfectly cover the vehicle with that advertisement. A good wrap must be able to cover, but not hinder window visibility and all materials must be weather resistant to heat, UV, cold and wind. Good adherence to the vehicle body is important, as the wrap must stay on without it peeling off before purposely being removed. The process involves cutting edge software, durable printing inks, high performance adhesive vinyl materials and laminates. It begins with an accurate engineering drawing !

known as a template which is taken from the vehicle, the advertisement is placed on the template on a computer, this is printed on large vinyl decals which are then fitted properly into a seamless image by professional installers.

If the company doesn't want to invest in vehicle wrap advertising, it can place advertising on vehicles in the form of magnetic signs, bumper stickers, window decals, etc. Companies seeking to attract business with a different format have found advertising on vehicles using these methods to be effective, without having to go the full vehicle wraps direction.

Vehicle wraps are like giant billboards, only more imaginative, they move in the area your company services and they create a visibly striking presence. They work all day, generating awareness for your company and are constantly reaching new and potential customers. Vehicle advertising is the best and most cost effective form of advertising available.