Exposure and Branding

Wonder why a business would wrap a vehicle? It’s about exposure, branding and doing everything possible to keep their business in front of as many prospective and existing customers as possible. This is particularly true in tough economical times.

The vehicle you wrap will be driven every day in the areas that you do business. You will park your vehicle in front of customer’s homes and business; you will drive the same route like a moving billboard. You will park it in malls and high traffic areas on a daily basis. It will work for you 24/7 365 days a year.

What kind of feedback can you expect from a wrap? Be prepared for people to come up to your vehicle and ask you for business cards. “We’ve had customers tell us they’ve been chased down for a business card, and others who have found business cards in the wiper asking for a call, said Jasmine, CSR for vehiclewraps.ca. Customers will tell you that they see your vehicles everywhere and ask you how many vehicles you have assuming your fleet of one is really many because they notice wraps. Leads will be generated because wrapping a vehicle works.

Is it worth it? Well for about $2.00 per day there is virtually nothing that compares in exposure. Some estimates are that a single wrap can generate over 100,000 impressions per day . Wrapping your vehicle shouldn’t be the only thing your company does to promote itself but for the money there is very little else you could do that compares in value.

So let’s assume you’ve decided that wrapping a vehicle is right for your business. Now what? Well it starts with finding a company that can proper handle four elements. Design – Production – Installation – Proper customer service. If one of these elements is missing you are likely in for a frustrating experience.

Design - Nothing is worse than a cluttered wrap that says too much. It really defeats everything. A good wrap is clean, simple, and tells the story quickly. Images draw attention to the wrap and instantly explain what you offer. Your name or brand is then clearly seen and your web and/or telephone give the customer what they need to make the next step. Consider that a moving wrap is seen for about three seconds so how much information can you get across. Also consider that while a wrap is “creative” it should be used to “direct” potential customers to your website or business where you can tell them a larger story.

Production - Now that you’ve got a great design you will need a company that understands outdoor media. There are many different printers on the market today designed for different applications. The proper printer should be a true solvent printer using robust inks. The press operator will need to be good with color profiling to get good color and minimal banding (lines in the print) which is common in digital printing. The material they use should be designed for wraps and have either a proper liquid or film laminate applied. The company should also have proper knowledge of material drying time as well as ink saturation.


Installation – Here’s the most critical point in the wrap process and it’s not price. You can do everything right and if you get the wrong installer you will be back to square one.


Without a doubt this is the most difficult part of the process. Think about it. The installer will take pieces of a giant sticker and attempt to apply this to your vehicle in panels so that the end result is a wrap free of bubbles & wrinkles. Having said this, your expectations will also play into the installation.

Remember that it’s not a paint job so there will be little flaws and pieces that overlap. Wear and tear will also mean that you may need to trim a piece from time to time.

What there shouldn’t be are huge bubbles or wrinkles and the design should line up fairly close to the template you approved. Remember that the reason you wrap your vehicle is for the advertising message. Customers will not see it from 6” away so minor little imperfections will not affect the message.

How do you find a good installer and company to wrap your vehicles? One good way is to look for a company that takes care of everything in house. This way when there are issues you have one contact to solve problems. Look at their portfolio, have they done enough vehicles to know what they’re doing. What are the designs like on their website? In the vehicle wrap business there is really no school other than learning by being hands on so if the company and installers aren’t wrapping car’s every day they probably won’t be as good as a company that does. Beware of companies telling you that their installers are certified. While they may be “certified” by one organization or another, it means very little if the installer doesn’t apply the skill every day. The only way to get good at installing is by doing it over and over.

The bottom line in dealing with a company to wrap your vehicle is that you should get a good sense that they know what they’re talking about and can deliver what they say they can.