Car Wrap Advertising. What’s to Know? OOHWOOW!

Have you ever seen a car, truck, or van in your area wrapped in an advertisement? If so, you may have wondered whether these advertisements — known as vehicle wraps, car wrap advertising, vinyl wraps, etc. — are a worthwhile investment to market your business and propel it forward.

Below, you’ll find an explanation of what vehicle wraps are and why you should consider putting some marketing dollars into them.

What is a car wrap?(vehicle wrap, advertising wrap, PVC AD wrap, etc) 

A vehicle wrap is a digitally-printed mobile billboard. Our professionals will work with you to craft your advertisement and then print it on vinyl. The professionals at OOHWOOW!, print vinyl wraps in full colour with eye-catching graphics. After working with you in designing your wrap, our car wrap professionals will then apply the vinyl film to your car.

You can select either a full wrap, which covers the entire vehicle, or a partial wrap. Even if the wraps cover windows, you won’t have a problem looking through them. A high-quality vinyl wrap typically lasts three to five years.

Are Car Wrap Advertising Effective?

When advertising wraps are done right, they can be extremely effective. When you think of marketing and advertising, the use of vehicle graphics may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, you may want to give car wrapping more consideration based on the following statistics:

• In the US today, “individual vehicle advertising generates between 30,000-70,000 daily vehicular impressions,” according to ARD Ventures.
• “Mobile advertising generates 2.5 times more attention than a static billboard,” says Perception Research.
• “Messages on outdoor mobile billboards have a 97% recall rate,” RYP & Becker Group indicates.

Based on these metrics, it’s easy to see why small business owners would want to consider choosing vehicle wraps over more traditional forms of advertising.

Aren’t wraps meant for large companies with vehicle fleets?

There is a common misconception that vinyl car wraps are only for companies with large vehicle fleets. This is not the case. Even if you don’t own company vehicles, you can still lease trucks, cars or van’s to advertise your company’s information.

OOHWOOW!, embraces the power of the gig economy to provide wrap advertising services. We allow drivers to earn money by wrapping their cars on behalf of third-party companies.

Taking advantage of these mobile advertisements could legitimize your small business and introduce your brand and logo to customers in your area. When small business owners use vehicle wraps, it puts them on the same playing field as companies large enough to maintain vehicle fleets.

How much do car wraps cost?

The cost of vinyl wraps depends on the size of the vehicle you wish to cover. You can wrap cars of any size. The average cost typically ranges from $1,800 to $3,800, which includes:

• Working with clients designs to fit them onto different vehicles professionally
• Printing services
• Professional installation
• Uninstalling the Wrap when the promotion ends

Another thing to consider is the cost you’ll save on not having to repaint the vehicles in your fleet or driver’s cars. Vinyl wraps are a cost-effective solution compared to the price of a new paint job. Vehicle wraps also provide paint protection. The wraps give the vehicle a new look, while preserving the original paint job.

If you were to paint ads on vehicles, you would be stuck with the same advertisement until you decided to repaint the car. However, with custom vehicle wraps, you can change ads as you wish. If you don’t want to have an advertisement on your car any longer, you can have our professionals remove the wrap without causing any damage to the original paint.

How do vehicle wraps compare to other forms of advertising?

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America classifies wrap advertising as a form of “out of home” advertising (OOH). The agency says that vehicle advertising can be the most effective and efficient form of out of home advertising, reaching more consumers at a lower cost per thousand impressions than any other form of advertising.

On average, wrap advertising costs as little as forty-eight cents per thousand impressions. This is significantly lower than other forms of advertising. For instance, it’s estimated that outdoor signs cost $3.56, while newspaper ads cost $19.70 per thousand impressions. Wrap advertising isn’t quite as cost-efficient as online advertising, but it’s certainly more effective than some other forms of marketing.

Vinyl wraps tend to increase the outreach of a marketing campaign. When conducting traditional marketing campaigns, small business owners often limit themselves to a defined demographic. For instance, if you advertise in the Wall Street Journal, you’re limiting yourself to those who are, on average, 30-49 years old. However, if you engage in a mobile billboard advertising campaign, you’ll reach everyone from children to seniors.

What is the average return on investment for car wrap advertising?

There is no average return on investment (ROI) for vehicle wraps because it will depend on the type of company you have, where and when the vehicle is driven, and the effectiveness of the wrap design. But there are ways you can measure your return.

• First, you can provide a separate phone number, such as an 800 number, that is only advertised on the wraps. Then keep track of the calls that come in through it.
• Next, you can advertise a special discount, promotional QR code or deal only on the wrapped vehicle and keep track of those calls.
• Finally, you can create a specific landing page for your website and put that URL on the wrap in the form of an easy to use QR code. (The operative words are to “keep it simple”)

Kenneth Chan, Founder of oohwoow.com, told us, “Our customers have commented about how their business increased after wrapping their vehicles. Some tell us that they gained new customers before they even got home with their newly wrapped car, while others literally took an order as soon as they left our offices. One of our customers tracks his job leads and says his sales shot up from $31,000 to $194,000 in 12 months due to his wrapped trucks.”

So, although there is no across-the-board ROI figure for wraps, there are ways for you to measure the effectiveness of your ad campaign.

Do you need to have advertisements on vinyl wraps?

In addition to custom vehicle wraps that advertise your business, some other types of vinyl could be useful for business owners. These wraps don’t necessarily need to have any advertisements on them, but knowing the effectiveness of mobile ads, I’d argue that it would be a wasted opportunity not to have a printed ad on your wrap. So while you could just protect your fleet of company cars with no printed ads on them, (especially if you expect to put a lot of wear-and-tear on them), the added benefit of putting your company advertising front and centre on yr fleet clearly is a benefit that cannot be ignored. 

That said, some consumers do use vinyl wraps as a paint protection film so that the original paint on the car doesn’t chip or peel. Paint protection vinyl is clear, providing your vehicle with a secondary layer to help keep your paint safe.

You could also choose to utilize colour changing wraps with your advertising. These are a cost-effective solution that allows you to change the colour of your vehicle without having to invest in a new paint job. There are numerous colours and finishes available, 

including high gloss or matte finishes. Studies have shown that using color psychology could give your company a competitive advantage.

A Word of Caution

Because printing technology is better than ever, wrap installations are more accessible than ever. However, there has also been a rise in inexperienced people setting up fleet wrap shops. It’s a good idea to check a wrap provider’s credentials and reviews before engaging in business. You may not think it, but the installation process can be very intricate and involve a qualified installer to do it right.

Wraps shouldn’t damage a vehicle’s paint job. However, if an inexperienced individual applies the wrap film, there’s a chance that the image can bleed through the wrap onto the paint. There’s also a strong chance that the paint will be scratched or chipped in the process.

You’ll be better off investing in the services of a professional who you can trust. Make sure that you choose a company like OOHWOOW! that is highly-rated and has years of experience. Additionally, you should always ask for a warranty in writing. If you’re working with high-end wrap designers, they should be more than willing to offer one.

Are car wrap advertising legal?

Before engaging in a car wrap advertising campaign, you’ll first need to check whether doing so is legal in your area. Some cities, especially those that are incredibly populated, have moved to ban mobile advertisements. New York City is one such example. They banned mobile advertisements, claiming that the ads contribute to traffic congestion. (meaning people are slowing down to look at the ads)

Before engaging in a wrap advertising campaign, check your local laws. In Calgary, where we are starting, there are no such regulations but as the market and situation evolves, we will also evolve with it. 

Ohh Yeah, Remember to Keep Track your Effectiveness…

Vinyl wraps could be a valuable part of your marketing strategy, especially if you live/operate your business in populated areas. Choosing vehicle wraps will allow you to reach a broad target audience for minimal costs.

Whether you choose car wrap advertising or some other form of business advertising, make sure you integrate it into your overall marketing budget and track the effectiveness of all marketing activities. 

Contact OOHWOOW!  for more details today.