Why Vehicle Decals Are Essential to Your Business

Before the use of modern vehicle decals and auto graphics, and even before the advent of motors, business people recognized the value of displaying images and messages on their vehicles as a way of advertising and asserting their brand image. Advertisers would display messages on the horsefly nets they draped over the sides of their horses. They would paint ornate lettering and logos on the sides of their stagecoaches to promote their businesses. Later in the 1930s and 1940s, people made signs from metal or cardboard and affixed them to their cars using wire. They would also wet pieces of printed paper and stick them to the inside of their windshields. Displaying graphics and messaging on transport vehicles is still popular today using custom-printed vinyl vehicle decals for several objectives which you should consider for your business.

A custom-printed partial vinyl vehicle wrap on the side of a Ford pickup truck.

Vehicle Decals Are Part of an Effective Marketing & Advertising Strategy

Thanks to modern printing technology, your vehicle or fleet is a blank canvas for advertising. Vehicle decals or even full vehicle wraps are easily printed using durable and waterproof vinyl media with endless options for colors, gradients and designs. Unlike billboards and sign rentals, you own your vehicle and do not need to pay a fee for the advertising space — in fact, according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, custom vehicle graphics are the most cost-effective form of advertising.

Car decals and wraps can be used to show off your brand, list of services and contact information to a huge audience. In Calgary alone, there are tens of thousands of vehicles and drivers on the road each day. With eye-catching vehicle decals on your ride, a large number of people are exposed to your branding. Studies have shown that repeated impressions increase the memorability of brands, making it likely that potential customers will remember a company when they are looking for the services it offers.

Vehicle Decals & Wraps Contribute to Brand Image

Although advertising is the most common application for vinyl decals on a vehicle, there are many decal products that are tailored for vehicle styling as well. Style and color are important contributors to a brand image. Moreover, color has been shown to affect the emotions of consumers and influence their feelings about a company, which in turn can affect their buying decisions. Full body car wraps can be used to change the color of your vehicle for much less money than a new paint job will cost. The same, durable materials can also be used to add pin striping and accents to your car, truck, boat or ATV.

Not only are vinyl wraps extremely durable nowadays, they will also preserve your factory paint job underneath, and can be removed with ease.

Vehicle Decals Contribute to an Image of Professionalism

Let’s face it, most established companies are already using vehicle decals as a way to get their fleet to look bona fide and professional. When showing up at a meeting or a job site, having a professional-looking vehicle displaying your brand can send a powerful message, giving your potential customers extra confidence in your business. If your business specializes in a service that is provided on-site, you can gain even more value here: Neighboring properties or anyone passing by will see the work that you are doing for your client and know exactly who to call if they are looking for a referral for the same type of service.

Vehicle Decals Are Required by Regulation for Commercial Vehicles

If you operate a heavy commercial vehicle or work in the transportation business, Transport Canada and the Department of Transportation (US) may require you to have decals on your commercial vehicle identifying your company name, vehicle identification number, GVW weight and tare weight.
On their own, these regulatory decals can be a bit of an eye sore, but if your vehicle is already required to display them, it is easy to include additional decals with your logo, phone number, and services at the same time.

Let Us Help

Pixel Imaging offers a wide variety of vehicle decals, fleet graphics and vehicle wraps to Calgary businesses. We are Calgary’s vehicle decal experts and can help you with any customized vehicle decal or wrap project. Contact us today to inquire — we are always here to help!