I was driving down the M1 this morning (my usual route), and I saw two more examples of the sorts of stupidity I talked about in this post.
The two companies/vans in question were for:
Can you spot the problem already?
InSpace was by far the worst offender. Logos on all sides of the van, but:
- The company name doesn’t give the first clue what the company does or what problems it solves
- There was no tagline or mission statement to give any hints
- There were no contact details anywhere on the van!
Yes, another example like my favourite ‘bunch of noddies’ Reality Group.
Best-One were only marginally better:
- Again, company name gives no clue to what they do, or the problems they solve. Best One of what?
- They did have a tagline. Hallelujah, you might think? HONK! Wrong! The tagline was this “Serving the local community”. AAARGH! Serving them by doing WHAT?!?! Picking up litter? Working at the local soup kitchen? Giving the local residents a headache by trying to figure out what “Best-One” does?
- Yet again, no contact details anywhere on the van!
Here’s a clue guys (if you’re reading) – if your tagline could apply to any company, not just yours, and even worse, if it could apply to a completely different industry, then it’s POINTLESS.
Get rid of it immediately, and think of something that expresses your USP (Unique Selling Point) and, since this is Personality Marketing, preferably your UPT (Unique Personality Trait) as well.
In my case, my tagline is currently “Get more business, more easily, with more fun, by being 100% you”.
And just for completeness, I saw several examples of another idiotic way of doing sign-writing on your van – making it so damn small that you need to be 3 feet from the back of the van to read it!
Just remember – I’m doing 70MPH (well, 70-ish 
) down the M1 – I do not want to get 3 feet from your bumper to find out if your company might be able to help me.
Make it big – make it simple – make it memorable
Oh, and one final thing.
If you’re reading this and thinking “I don’t have company vehicles, so this doesn’t apply to me” – WRONG. Unless you take public transport everywhere, there are several ways you can promote your business on your vehicle, even if it’s your own car, without wrecking the paintwork.
Here’s a few quick suggestions:
- Magnetic vehicle signs. You often see them on private cabs, but they work just as well on private cars, and just as well on the tailgate as on the side doors.
- Custom printed sun shades. One I often see (and they make good giveaways for some firms) is advertising Kiddicare.
- If you drive a 4×4 with an external spare wheel, try a spare wheel cover sign.
But whatever you choose, remember: Make it big – make it simple – make it memorable
Two essential components:
- Your contact details (phone, web address or both)
- A compelling reason to call you
What can you do to create some free or low cost mobile advertising?
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Gordon
Great post, so true. As the owner of a sign company myself, nothing annoys me more than badly designed signs, and as you say, you see many examples on vehicles .
Here’s another classic, putting a fax number on a van! Try asking anyone you know if they have ever written down a fax number from a vehicle graphic, most people remember the website and go there for details, so it is debatable if a phone number is needed, but a fax number…. never!!!
Couldn’t agree more Andy – a fax number is totally and utterly pointless on a van!
I do think phone numbers are useful, but they need to be memorable in some way. Most taxi companies get this right e.g. 01933 247 247 for 24-7 Cabs.
Mind you, in the case 0f taxis, it needs to be possible to remember it when you’re absolutely bladdered after 10 pints of lager, so they *really* need to be memorable!