How vehicle branding creates a mobile billboard
By Rohan Xavier, Aug 9 2019
Did you know vehicle branding has been around since the early 1900s?!
Milton Hershey of Hershey’s chocolates was the first to paint his automobile to advertise his brand. In fact, vehicle branding was initially all painted until Vinyl Chloride was invented in 1926.
Fast-forward to 2019, we now have a few more options for branding vehicles, including wraps, stickers and one-way visions.
Branding your vehicle is fun and while it can be tempting to jump straight to design, it is also very important to first discover your brand identity. Once you discover your brand identity, you can make sure your vehicle reflects who you are and what you’re all about.
What is branding?
A brand is more than just a logo – it’s the public face of your business. Your brand sets you apart in the market and wins the hearts and minds of your customers and staff.
Your brand includes the colours, fonts, patterns, images and any symbolism that you wrap around your brand. Your brand lets your prospects and customers know what to expect even before they interact or engage with your brand. Brand perception can drive new business to your door and increase brand awareness.
Branding is a strategic marketing practice used by marketing agencies to differentiate your company from your competitors. This usually involves creating a name, logo and symbols that enable your business to stand out in a cluttered environment. Branding is very important as your prospects and:
“Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking chords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.” -Sir Richard Branson
Importance of branding
A clear, consistent brand increases familiarity – often, consumers are happy to work with brands they know rather than brands that are new. It is important to have a good product or service, but it is even more important to increase brand awareness and your vehicle can do this. When customers are familiar with your brand, they trust you and perceive you to be dependable and this increases word of mouth marketing.
“Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos
Your brand identity is your business’s reputation and secret to stand out in a cluttered environment. While creating this identity, it is important to apply your organisational values to all visual components of your brands. When consumers can see and connect with your brand, believe that you can provide a uniform and rewarding customer experience, they begin to trust your brand, and this helps build customer loyalty.
Uniformity
Omni-channel marketing is when your brand provides consumers with a consistent experience over multiple channels. When your brand identity is consistent and the messages are seamless, the result is an increased level of familiarity and trustworthiness.
Employee satisfaction
When your employees understand and feel connected to your brand, they will become advocates for your brand. A well-branded organisation delivers high employee satisfaction and pride, as employees are proud to tell people where they work. And when satisfaction is high, team morale is higher.
Four reasons to display your brand on your vehicle
A beautifully branded vehicle can become a mobile billboard for your business. Whether you have one car, or a fleet of vehicles, brand your vehicle has multiple benefits.
- Increase visibility – Your vehicle is always SOMEWHERE – whether it’s parked outside your clients’ offices, stopped at the traffic lights, or travelling from A – B. A branded vehicle can help increase brand awareness and familiarity. How often have you heard yourself say, “Oh I know that company, I see their cars everywhere!”
- Make your brand memorable – Unique vehicle designs with bold colours are eye-catching and memorable. This can help your brand stick in people’s minds.
- Drive behaviour – We all know the importance of call to action. Vehicle signage provides an excellent opportunity to get customers to perform an action. Include your website, contact details, or brand hashtags and help drive engagement with your brand.
- Increase ROI – Vehicle signage lasts many years and travels many miles – literally. Get the most from your investment by taking the time to create a beautiful, well-thought-out design for your brand.
Here are some examples of vehicle branding HGB has created for our clients:
At HGB we are experts at creating meaningful and engaging brand identities. We take a strategic approach – we first uncover your WHY and your brand DNA. We then develop a brand that connects to your core purpose and resonates your DNA.
If you would like to discover your brand identity and carry it wherever you go, call us today!