There are hundreds of ways to advertise ranging from online to outdoor advertisements. We see them virtually everywhere we go–on trains, on billboards, and on the websites and apps we scroll through. However, one type of advertising that tends to get overlooked is those that are placed on trucks. The premise of advertising trucks is in its name–an advertisement that is placed on a truck. But let’s dive into what truck advertising really is.
Advertising trucks can easily be mixed up with two other types of advertising on vehicles–namely truck wraps and moving billboards. Although they share some similarities, let’s start by breaking down what these differences are.
(Source: Barraclou.com)
Vehicle Wraps
Vehicle wraps are a covering that, like its name indicates, is wrapped around a vehicle. This type of advertising is not solely subjected to trucks, but is more commonly found on public transit, such as buses and subways, or cars. For example, the TTC buses and subways are no stranger to vehicle wraps. From promoting brands to events, you can often find these vehicles adorned with attention grabbing advertisements that stand out from the crowd.
Moving Billboards
Moving billboards are a bit of a different story. Although advertising trucks are also moving advertisements, moving billboards differ in some fundamental ways. They are a form of advertising that refers to vehicles that drive or pull around a billboard, hence its name. Although these billboards are often hauled around on a truck, there are many methods of moving around these advertisements. Much like the vehicle wraps, moving billboards are by no means subjected to trucks only. They can also be pulled by bicycles with a cart that is attached behind it. Moreover, moving billboards can be printed or digital, including various audio or visual effects. In other words, they do not have to be static. With this method, advertisers have full control over the campaign. You can choose the route based on your target audience or traffic.
(Source: Movia)
Advertising Trucks
Compared to both vehicle wraps and moving billboards, advertising trucks are fairly straightforward. They are essentially advertisements installed on the sides of a truck that deliver and transport goods. The possibilities for the creatives on these trucks are endless. Although the most common form of advertising trucks are static ads, some companies have used this to their advantage by creating a static advertisement that creates an optical illusion, giving off a 3D effect. Many brands have used this tactic, most notably Coca-Cola, KitKat, Mars and McDonalds. Advertising trucks can also be dynamic. Within big cities, it is not uncommon to see trucks adorned with LED billboards, showing a video or moving ad and attracting the attention of people within the vicinity. Companies that are no stranger to these eye-catching LED billboards include Bud Light who had very recently run a campaign for their drinks during the Super Bowl weekend. Driving through the busy streets of Los Angeles. It is also common to find this type of advertising truck at festivals, with the loud creatives matching the energy of the event. Although these are more of a costly option, they are great at standing out from the crowd.
With that being said, all of this goes to show how versatile advertising trucks are. Not only can they grab the attention of everyone around them, even if they are not aware of this happening, but they are also large. This means that whether people like it or not, truck advertisements are big, they’re loud, and they draw attention everywhere they go. This means that they can reach a large audience. Whether you’re driving on local streets, through the traffic in downtown, or on an international scale, advertising on trucks is a foolproof way to turn heads.
Although in the modern day and age there are various advanced digital methods of advertising with the purpose of expanding the popularity of a company’s brand, advertising trucks still remain as one of the most effective and convenient marketing strategies. Although this may come as a surprise to many people, one crucial factor must be understood: advertising trucks are more effective today than ever before in the history of branding. As opposed to how advertising trucks used to operate decades ago, where a company’s brand image was simply placed on the side of a moving truck in hopes of catching public’s attention, today advertising trucks have an entire scheme of targeting behind them.
When you decide that using advertising trucks is the right strategic move for upping the branding of your business, you will realize that you have the advantage of targeting your desired audiences in specific areas that are most likely to yield good results for your business. This is due to the fact that advertising trucks have the feature of strategic route selection, which is intended for choosing the routes for a particular business with the intent of yielding the best possible results with truck advertising.
(Source: Pixabay)
When advertising methods and tactics are being discussed, the vast majority of times strategies such as digital marketing, digital billboards, and television advertisements are usually the hot topics of the conversation. However, using advertising trucks as a form of a branding strategy for your business has more advantages and benefits to offer than simply magnifying the extent of your customer outreach. To add to that, as compared to the other sources of growing a brand that was listed above, advertising trucks provide another huge leverage for a business: a more cost effective marketing strategy. Although truck advertising doesn’t happen to be super cheap either, they are a better alternative for the price conscious business decision. Digital advertising, for example, is yet another powerful and effective modern day marketing strategy, however, it comes with a hefty price tag that many business owners simply cannot afford to sacrifice.
Is an advertising truck the right choice for my business?
In order for this question to be answered truthfully, you should first conduct your own research to get a better understanding of what mobile billboards can and cannot achieve for your business. To add to that, you should also evaluate the financial standing of your company as well in order to see if your business is in a financial position to afford renting advertising trucks. Although we stated that advertising trucks can be a cheaper alternative than some of the other marketing methods, mobile billboards are still far from cheap. Cost effective, definitely, but not cheap. The next step for you would be to assess your marketing department’s goals, and form a precise objective in terms of what you’re looking to get out of an advertising truck for your business. Regardless of the industry of a business, the implementation of an effective advertising plan is necessary for any business to thrive and survive. However, advertising trucks may not be the ideal strategy for all businesses in their respective fields. For instance, a small business with insignificant funding is simply not in a position to be able to afford the services of advertising trucks. However, this does not imply that advertising trucks are only suited for huge corporations with millions, either. It simply means that although the benefits of an advertising truck seem lucrative, a wise assessment is necessary before making the decision to make a huge financial sacrifice.
All in all, advertising trucks are a highly effective marketing strategy for many brands. If it checks all the boxes your brand is looking for in terms of cost, marketing goals, and objectives, advertising trucks may be a highly fruitful avenue to look towards when planning your next marketing campaign.
