Category Archives: Advertising

Vehicle Wrap Care Instructions

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To maintain the appearance and increase the longevity of your wrap, the following is recommended:

Regular hand washing, avoiding abrasive chemicals with strong solvents

  • Avoid brushes, as they can dull the finish of the laminate and can cause scratching
  • Rinse off any residue thoroughly with clean water
  • Allow vehicle to air dry or use a microfiber cloth to dry

Pressure washing can be used when hand washing is not an option

  • Avoid excessive pressure that can cause damage to the graphics
  • Do not direct the spray at a sharp angle to the graphics
  • Avoid spraying directly at wrap seams
  • Trim back all lifted edges, and seal with an edge sealer or replace the section of the graphics if necessary
  • Water pressure – maximum 800psi to 2,000 psi
  • Water temperature – maximum 72 to 180 degrees
  • Spray nozzle spray pattern of 40 degrees
  • Minimum distance of nozzle to the graphics – 12 to 18 inches
  • Spray angle – 45 degrees, sweeping spray
  • Never use a Turbo pressure nozzle

Avoid Carmauba-based waxes, which are popular for vehicles without graphics because they can be buffed to a high shine. The buffing process needs to be rigorous and can cause damage to the graphics. Teflon or silicone-based polish used should be specifically designed for use on vehicle wraps. Most vinyl manufacturers recommend not using any waxes or polishes on matte, textured or other unique finishes and it is important to remove any residue (gunk) as soon as possible to avoid staining and other damage. Any cleaner used should be tested in an inconspicuous place first

For a gas spill be sure to wash off the residue quickly with soapy water; an isopropyl alcohol wipe down followed by a cleaning with a citrus-based cleaner will help remove oil, tar or asphalt that may build up to the graphics. Follow any chemical cleanings with a regular washing with water and a mild cleaner. Rinse with clean water and dry with a lint-free or microfiber cloth.  In short; KEEP IT CLEAN!

 

 

A Few Tips for Great Vehicle Advertising

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Good Design is Key!

This ad for AST (Advanced Security Technologies) on a windowed van can be easily seen from a distance and it looks classy and interesting from the street.  A great combination of good design and creative positioning. Another example from is from the UK, this wrap for a printing company is loud enough to get a lot of attention but understated and elegant enough to convert viewers into customers. This design is stark contrast to the huge-text, in-you-face, explosion-and-fire designs of most commercial wraps on the road. No one has ever been annoyed into becoming a customer.

Good design in vehicle wraps is surprisingly hard to find. A clever, well-designed vehicle wrap is an easy and immediate way to set your ad campaign miles ahead of everything else out there.

Be entertaining!

All advertising must be either entertaining or informative. Anything else will be immediately forgotten at best, and at worse will hurt your brand. With mobile and outdoor media like vehicle wraps, there’s usually not enough time to inform so you have to entertain. If you can get drivers laughing and pointing, they’ll talk about it for days and become evangelists for your brand as well as new customers. An easy way to be entertaining is to put advertising unexpected places. In this economy, almost everyone is ready to cut a deal. If you have an idea to put an ad in an unusual spot, don’t be afraid to so some digging and find someone who can say yes. You may even end up saving a lot of money. Here are a couple more examples:

 

Think outside of cars and buses

Everyone’s seen mobile ads on the side of a bus, but trains are a relatively untapped medium for ad placement.  They also offer some interesting creative opportunities that buses so not offer.  Imagine the entire army of Verizon’s support engineers as a part of their “we never stop working for you” campaign or a giant shark eating up the track for a zoo promotion. .  Here are a few more creative ideas, some of these from Japan.

        

 

 

Window Decals and Wraps

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Window decals or partial wraps are a sensational way of getting your advertising done in a very cost effective way. Considering that they can be used by car owners in car, suv or truck windows, on busses, on trains and on glass building doors and elevators, you can imagine the extensive exposure you can enjoy. Irrespective of what industry you are involved in, you will have to promote and market your shop, your brand and your company.

Vehicle Window wraps and decals can be designed and printed to look like a part of your vehicle wrap or just for the rear window or back windows of your vehicle. The material used for the window decals and wraps is perforated and you can still see out but will hardly notice the perforations from a little distance on the outside.

Most Relevant Vehicle Wrap Answers!

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Get This:

Consider these statistics compiled by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America:

    • More than 95% of Americans are reached by media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers.
    • One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 – 70,000 impressions daily.
    • Fleet vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times greater than any other form of advertising.
    • 30% of mobile outdoor viewers indicate they would base a buying decision on the ad they see.

What is a vehicle wrap?

Car wraps can take many shapes, colors and sizes. A full wrap covers the entire surface of the car or vehicle. A partial wrap covers only a specific portion of the vehicle and uses the vehicle’s paint scheme as the backdrop for the full design. Vehicle wraps are done with vinyl materials (think of it as a large decal) that conform to the shape of your vehicle. They can be done in solid colors as “paint replacement” or can have digitally printed designs on the vinyl to really make your vehicle stand out.

How effective are vehicle wraps as advertising

A quick comparison in typical advertising mediums suggests the following:

    • Radio attracts 900,000 listeners in six weeks with 10 to 12 30-second spots.
    • Value Pak mailings offers a reach of 600,000 with 100,000 addresses per drop and your client is just one of many advertisers included in the packet.
    • Direct mail reaches 20,000 names with one post card mailer.
    • Seven city buses get 600,000 impressions in two months.
    • Billboards receive 700,000 impressions in one month.
    • An ad in the yellow pages can cost up to $15,000 per year—with your competitors listed right there next to your ad.
    • The same is true for pay-per-click advertising—at an even higher cost per month.
    • Car or vehicle wraps have the potential to garner thousands of impressions each day, they last up to three years and cost, on average, between $2,500 and $4,500 for a standard vehicle.

Does it affect the paint on my car?

Car wraps material vinyls are formulated with removable adhesive that does not harm your car’s paint. In fact, many people find that by wrapping their vehicle, it can possibly assist in keeping a higher resale value for the vehicle due to the protective benefits of the wrap.

How long does a vehicle wrap last?

Car Wraps installed with vinyls from major manufacturers such as 3M, Oracal, Avery, etc. are guaranteed not to fade, crack, or peel for up to 3-5 years in most locations. Your Custom Car Wrap selected specialist will be happy to explain the warranty program prior to purchasing your wrap.

Does it matter what color my car is?

No, a car wrap is not translucent; you cannot see through it.

It looks like there are graphics on the windows, will I still be able to see through the windows?

Yes the window graphics are printed on a perforated vinyl that allows you to see through the rear and side rear windows.

Can you wrap the front side windows?

No, state laws prohibit the use of wraps on driver and passenger side windows, as well as the windshield.

Can you wrap the roof?

On most automobiles the roof is included. Generally roofs are not wrapped (vans, trucks or SUVs), unless it is requested by the customer.

Can you wrap a fiberglass or chrome bumper?

A painted plastic bumper can be wrapped without any problems. In the case of fiber-glass or chrome bumpers, application of vinyl on these areas are not recommended or guaranteed to adhere for the duration of the life of the wrap.

Can you wrap my hubcaps or rims?

No, wheels are in general not wrapped, although newer wrap materials such as 3M Dinoc in such patterns as carbon fiber or matte silver are sometimes used to wrap specialty rims.

Can you wrap trailers, trucks, vans & SUVs or even boats?

Absolutely! If it rolls or floats, you can wrap it!

What if I plan to change my company logo or phone number in the future

Not a problem. Most wrap providers can print and install graphic overlays, so that information may be removed or replaced if you need to change or update your car wrap.

Some Facts About Vehicle Wraps

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Car wraps market your business 24/7. According to a recent national transportation association report, a car wrap can easily be seen by as many as 50,000 people each and every day. Over the life of the car wrap, the cost per impression in relation to the original cost of the wrap simply cannot be bested by any other form of advertising media.

Does the wrap damage the paint job?

No, the vinyl used these days will come off just fine, even after a couple of years and will actually protect your factory paint job. UV rays will fade your paint but your vinyl wrap will protect your paint from fading. Take caution, however, if you’ve had a custom paint job or a back-yard, brother-in-law touch-up because the adhesive that holds the vinyl will tend to grab that paint and pull it off in spots. Factory paint will actualy benefit from the wrap vinyl in that your vehicle’s resale value will be higher since your paint will remain bright and sharp!

What about my design?

Many industry leading wrap shops use templated artwork, making simple modifications in order to move the production process out of the design phase as quickly as possible. You can have any design you want as long as it’s one of those templates with only very minor modifications allowed. Doing so helps them keep their costs down and make more money. All businesses should have an eye, both eyes, on maximizing their bottom line, just recognize that it may come at the expense of creative options when it comes to getting what you want. That’s what makes it so effective to use Custom Car Wraps, you decide what you want the wrap to look like and the shop(s) you choose from the list in your area will have to work out the details with you and be competitive in price.

Before you sign anything, look at what some competitors have to offer. A designer’s overal portfolio will give you a really good preview of how good these guys are. One of the “bad wraps” the designer world has working against it is the fact that they are known to promise what you’ve asked for, but design what they really like. Most wrap shops are reputable but if you talk to a few of the shop’s past clientele, that’ll go a long way towards helping you make a right decision. Your vision of what it should be, you provided them with the overall design you want, it is their job to make it work on your vehicle.

Is the vinyl really that good?

Yes, it is. A wide variety of everyday vinyls have been developed for car wraps, in the past twenty years. There is variety of specialty vinyls available for different types of vehicles, applications and surfaces. There was a time when “3M” was King because of their quality and they deserved it. Vinyl competitors such as Oracal, Avery and some others have managed to match or beat 3M quality in many instances. Now they’re King because of 15 years of good marketing and branding. Car wrap prospects know the 3M name from years of good marketing and assume that it must be good. The market is now offering equivalent or even better quality vinyls than 3M and, the icing on the cake, better warranties and lower overall costs. There’s more than one brand of vinyl and we suggest you find a shop that can help you select the right vinyl as opposed to selecting just a brand. Check the about warp materials page on Custom Car Wraps for more information about the various vinyls and manufacturers.

 

Some tips when putting a commercial wrap on your vehicle

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The Tips!

Create a vehicle design with Custom Car Wraps. Use the simple four step process, download your logo(s), graphic ad content,  text, etc. directly from your own computer and have a variety of local wrap shops bid on the printing and installing of the wrap.

Plan a commute that better targets your market. Advertising your free-trade coffee shop will probably be most effective during the early morning in white-collar parts of town. Your daycare? On the way to residential areas during the end-of-day commute so that it’s fresh in parents’ minds.

Find your target audience and plan to hit them hard. Are potential customers really going to see your car? It doesn’t help if you plan to wrap your car in bright, eye-popping graphics only to put the beast in the garage! Are you in a high-traffic area where your customers drive. Or, do you commute on the freeway? Are you parking the vehicle in a strategic spot where people stop and look around while at a stop light? Just remember, it’s like a mobile mini-billboard, and to maximize your exposure, you need to understand where potential customers are driving, walking, sitting, and looking.

Set aside a marketing budget. Maybe you spend $4,000 on having a custom full wrap installed for your vehicle and you throw another $1,500 into a scrolling LED billboard to catch the rest of your customers at dusk. Or, maybe you spend $1,500 on a partial wrap or vinyl lettering and $300 on glow-in-the-dark signs. You just might be able to reach the same amount of customers for less investment!

Set your car apart. The more your vehicle stands out, the better your chances of drawing attention to the business it’s advertising. Choose bright, eye-catching colors and designs. Tacky and even ugly can be good too, because as people notice how your vehicle is lacking any kind of aesthetics, they’ll probably read the writing on it.

Research printing and installations quotes for wrapping your car. Custom Car Wraps will give you a choice of local printers and wrap shops to send the design to. If you’re really on a budget, $500 will buy you a perforated real window sign. For some real impact, prepare to spend $3,500 or more when compared to cheaper vinyl-cut lettering or magnetic decals; if your commute has impact, it’ll be worth the investment because, let’s face it, it’s easier to overlook a magnetic decal. Anything that’s unique with a little appeal will do an effective job of marketing for you.

Command attention in the dark.Think of all the night life out there. Many people fail to realize they have another 12 hours they’re missing by not addressing the night time market. It’s a time when relaxed executives are more apt to make changes to their business lives, and you can squeeze into that prime time with your marketing! Ever seen the taxi cabs in New York with the fancy LCD panels mounted to them? Or how about the scrolling LED signs speeding down the length of a Greyhound bus? Both are effective forms of advertising in the dark because they attract your attention. If you can’t afford the technological route, look into buying custom glow-in-the-dark stickers, decals, and signs. It’s a much cheaper alternative to the LED scrolling signs or the LCD panels.

Give your audience a follow up plan! Yes, a complete vehicle wrap with custom graphics and scrolling LEDs will certainly attract attention, but what good is it if your viewer doesn’t know how to get your service or buy your product? Give out a website or phone number! Clip fliers or business cards to the doors so passers-by can bring some of the advertisement home with them! As long as the viewers know how to act on the advertisement you displayed to them, your marketing investment is effectively spent.

The level of investment tends to govern the quality of the job, but more importantly, the integrity of your image. A true vehicle wrap has tremendous appeal and makes you look more credible than a magnet would, but it comes at a higher price!

Check with local sign shops. Custom Car Wraps will provide you with a list of local wrap shops and a  good one might be pricey, but remember what it will do for your business  Try to use wrap shop that has their own solvent printer and experienced installers. Ask for a portfolio of work!

Some things to look out for

Check with local enforcement before pursuing illuminated messaging in the dark. Some states disallow blinking or animated lights. Others will only permit certain colors, like red, white, or amber, to be used inside of a moving vehicle and have codes against front-window visibility. Not all states are the same! You can always put illuminated signs in your car when parked or while at shows or expositions to grab attention. Be sure your sign shop or vehicle graphic installer only uses a solvent-based print with a good protective overlaminate, or the job will deteriorate earlier. Ask about guarantees for quality workmanship. Caradvertisements can attract potential thieves because of the higher probability that you have something of value in your car.

Your Company and Your Vehicle Wrap!

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Design your wrap like a huge ad!

Come up with a creative idea, and keep it simple yet eye catching. The whole point of a vehicle wrap is to catch the viewer’s attention while they are in motion. Regardless of the overall messaging, be sure that your company brand or logo is easily visible against the background imagery. After all, the entire point of a car or truck wrap is to advertise your brand or product. Make sure people know what it is! Don’t place logos between panels or half on a window and a quarter panel, because the different materials will often print irregularly, and your logo will end up looking incorrect.

What we can learn from the big guys

Around the year 2000 I was working for a large internet agency and we got involved with FEDEX, they were creating the first on-line tracking system for international logistics of shipping packages based on bar code readers, revolutionary for those days since it was all EDI or in other words a nightmare. Along with it they changed their brand from Fedaral Express to simply Fedex, it was already a household name to “Fedex it” if you wanted to make sure it got there. New logo and and brand image and it went on anything that moves packages around the world.


What we can learn from this is don’t be afraid to change and get your message across on your vehicle, be it you have just your van or truck or an entire fleet of vehicles to advertise on.  There are no secrets and while you design a wrap for your vehicle or your fleet, keep in mind what you do and how you want to be perceived by your potential customers. If you deliver bread around, say so, illustrate it with a picture of bread and plug in your logo, web site name and phone number. For most of us, the kiss method works the best, people look at your wrap and understand what you do in a second, that’s all you get when you drive by. Use background images for more detailed look of what you do, plumber put a big picture of a drain or a faucet in your background and splash your name in front of it.

Take advantage of that moving billboard!

Most of us will have a van, truck or trailer with a flat surface to advertise on. This can make the design and application of the wrap fairly easy, you can create that awesome background and get your message across quite large with plenty of room to work with. But, if you do not need a van or truck for your business, think about the (fairly) unique vehicles out there on the road that stand out by themselves already and can create a unique messaging opportunity. Mini Coopers, VW Bugs, Smart cars and Hummers are very popular for their shapes: the more unusual the better. Hybrids are wonderful for conveying that your brand is concerned with the environment.

Here is an example of a well executed message from our friends at Loring Studios, a great background and large message, environment anybody?


If you are a local business keep your website and your telephone number visible and big. Beware of having any essential information, including logos and text, wrap around corners and edges. Instead, keep messaging in easily readable areas and be sure to put logos and taglines on all sides of the vehicle.

3D Wrap Designs Really Stand Out

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One big advantage of wraps, especially for commercial vehicles, is that the right design will really make you stand out and get noticed. 3D vehicle wrap designs takes this to a completely new level as you can see from the samples. These designs were created by Media Designs in New Jersey (732-861-6123) and they will really get your imagination going of what this can do for your moving billboard.