Written by: Sonia Kaila & Maya S.
On a Friday afternoon, you drive your friend to a department store and they say to you “Just give me 5 minutes and I will be back in a jiffy,” but the next thing you know that you have been waiting there for 30 minutes – hungry, bored of aimlessly scrolling on your phone and now you are thinking – what next?
And that’s when you see a truck wrapped up in an eye-catching advertisement talking about some delectable new recipe or special that they just came out with. You take out your cellphone and start googling the place or the product the truck is advertising about and finally decide to have it for dinner tonight.
Congrats! Your Truck Advertisement just sold the product without even saying a word.
What Is Truck Advertisement?
In simple terms, truck advertising is concerned with taking a commercial truck or trailer, in the process of making deliveries, and replacing its existing messaging, or covering its – black and white exterior, with the brand’s advertisement.
Sometimes, depending on the campaign and brand messaging, only covering the sides and not the back doors work better to tell an effective brand story. Pedestrians and drivers can be amused by the truck ad’s side door power, and remember the narrative displayed. Truck advertising is a booming OOH solution for a brand’s marketing problems.
What Makes an Effective Truck Side Ad Campaign?
Well, there’s really no right answer. Valuable impressions can be garnered from a lesser creative ad, while a more creative ad may not lead consumers to the point of sales. However, well-targeted, differentiated truck side ads always generate conversation leading to action. While it stands true that outdoor mobile billboards have a 97% recall rate, according to Outdoor Advertising Magazine, not every mobile billboard will be effective at reaching the right people.
It’s important to remember that a solid truck side advertising campaign must drive through or around an area that the mobile message speaks to. The ad must also mean something for the potential consumer; it has to leave a bit of an impact.
Tips and Tricks on Running A Killer Truck Advertising Campaign!
Now that you know what truck advertisement is and how effective it can be, let’s dig a little deeper into what it takes to run a successful truck advertising campaign. We did all the research for you and created a list of some tips and tricks that you can keep in mind to make your next truck advertising campaign a smashing success!
1. Budget
The most important thing to consider when having a successful truck advertising campaign would be making sure you have a good budget that you can both afford and will give you the results you are looking for. Standard advertising methods like print or TV are more costly and might not give you the ability to be sure about who and how many see your ad. Mobile billboard advertising is a method that takes every dollar you put towards it, into consideration as it pushes your ad to a targeted audience that matches your key demographic. Implementing a budget that allows for the best ad material and campaign plan while also staying within an amount that you are comfortable with will create a successful strategy for you.
2. Design Creatives
Design creatives can go a long way when it comes to creating and producing an ad that is visually appealing and eye catching. It’s important to make sure that the message is clear and impressionable so that an audience with a short attention span can see and understand the ad quickly. A creative that with bold colours and crisp images leave a longer graphic memory for a consumer and therefore are much more effective. There are many ways to create a graphic that will a lasting impression, and even help spread the word about your brand, such as the following;
a) Make it 3D
Billboards with 3D illusions have been around for a while and there are still so many ways to be creative with them. Immobile 3D billboards have some limits to how much they can convey, since they are placed in certain places and people can only view them from the front. That is why 3D billboards on trucks is a great option because it combats these types of limitations. By simply covering both sides of the trailer and the backdoor, the ad now has much more depth which gives it a much more realistic view. You could also say that it now has that wow factor. From the sides, it may look like any other standard billboard, but when the truck is moving and passing by other vehicles, the full effect of the 3D illusion takes place. The message can be so impactful even from afar, and much more up-close.
b) Use a screen on your truck
Digital Out-Of-Home ads are actually just as effective on the go as they are by themselves with displays usually. A large LED screen can be put up on the side of a truck rather than using printed vinyl wrapping. This gives the ad the advantages of both digital and mobile Out-Of-Home advertising. While having all of these benefits, this type of campaign also benefits from the bright and vibrant screen that can illustrate not just images, but a GIF-like billboard or even a short ad video.
c) Glass Trailers
Glass trailers are another innovative way to make use of a truck by using all the space on the back. The truck’s trailer can simply be replaced with glass walls and the inside can be transformed completely to fit whatever is needed for the purpose of the campaign. If you wanted to use type of advertising, you would usually need to involve a more engaging and on-the-go experience. These can range from being a mobile store display, an interactive space for the public, or perhaps even a small concert. There are endless possibilities for this option based on how creative you are.
d) Product Replicas
If you want something unique and more memorable, you can look outside the box and reinvent the trailer completely. If the ad campaign is for a product then there is always the idea of building a giant replica of that product and placing it on the truck where the trailer would be. It can be combined with the glass trailer to give the audience a clear view of the product. This way the product is always visible no matter how far away the individual is standing.
3. Be Consistent
It’s important to make sure that your new campaign is consistent with your company’s current branding. During the campaign, the image on the truck should be used in all of your marketing. It should be the cover on all your social media pages and the first thing they see on your web site as this is critical for brand recognition. If you are using the truck as a way to kick off the rebranding of your company, you should adjust all your other marketing materials accordingly, so everything is similar with the same messaging/branding before launching the truck. The truck should ideally be one piece of a larger marketing campaign, so it is important to make sure that you are presenting a clear, cohesive message across all of your platforms. In addition to this, consistent repetition is key as well. This type of representation of your company will create awareness and an identity for your brand. In order for your brand to become a household name, consistency is key!
4. Define KPIs and Measurements for Success
With the availability of mobile, geo-location data and data science, Out-Of-Home media planners can rely on trustworthy data and results from companies like ours to maximize and optimize their efforts for future campaigns. When preparing an OOH media plan, it is important to have an understanding of your brand’s marketing, advertising, and media goals. In addition to specific objectives, you want to have clear and measurable goals defined. This will provide you with end goals while you set attainable KPIs to evaluate success as it compares to specific business outcomes, such as driving store traffic, website visits or another call to action with consumers while mobile.
5. Optimize Website and Social Media
Another important thing to do when ensuring that your truck ad campaign is successful, is to make sure your web site and social media pages are optimized to welcome new traffic visiting you after seeing your truck ad. For example, do you have a special offer or contest to entice them to sign up for an account or and submit their contact info so you can add them to your contact database? By leveraging location-based audience data, you are able to deliver the right message, at the right time, to the right audience, making a big impact and driving impressive results. This is why having an optimized website to welcome them helps complete the results by creating new customers.
6. Establish A Target Audience
Knowing your target audience starts with looking at the buyer persona and what influences their decisions along the customer journey. Even if you have already done segmentation and micro-segmentation to understand your audience, it is important to still continue to research questions and get up to date information on your target audience.
Before starting a truck ad campaign, it’s important to map out a preliminary itinerary depending on the target audience’s desired demographics, such as region or routes. The effectiveness of a targeted mobile billboard campaign lies in focusing on your target audience. There are many things to consider when looking at your target audience and finding the best way to reach them, such as the location/environment the ad should be in or the days and times that your ad should run. This should have top priority because it will assist the campaign’s sales potential and maximize its results.
7. Be Patient!
Truck advertising is entirely about brand recognition. It is considered “top of funnel marketing” which means that it is introducing the brand to consumers and attempting to get as many leads as possible from this target audience. It positions your business to be a front runner when a prospective customer is ready to buy your product or service. Truck advertising isn’t an overnight process so although it may be long, it is important to be patient and results will soon follow!
On your mark, get, set, go!
Running a successful truck advertising campaign isn’t rocket science but it sure does take some strategy, experience and also the tips we shared with you in this article. Start marketing your brand or new product today by creating an effective truck advertising campaign.
