THERE’S NO FEELING quite like driving by a sign you designed or installed (or both), except, of course, when that sign drives by you. Not only is a vehicle wrap an advertisement for the company that owns the vehicle(s), but it acts as a driving hype machine for the signmaker and installer, too — provided it was done well.
“Dollar for dollar, I believe that fleet wraps have one of the largest returns on investment when it comes to advertising,” Bismarck Sign Co. (Bismark, ND) co-founder Alexandra Lund says. “It is very rewarding when clients come back and tell you how well it is working. I also love the transformation of seeing a fleet go from white and unrecognized to a vibrant advertising machine.”
From wraps for plumbing vehicles to environmental cleanup fleets, the following five shops definitely see the fruits of their labor.
Major Clean Up
Baranko Environmental (Dickinson, ND) works with some pretty big clients on some big environmental cleanups like oil spills, remediation and more. Heavy-duty cleaning calls need a fleet with an eye-catching and consistent look throughout. Bismarck Sign Co. (Bismarck, ND) was up to the task, implementing both wraps and substrate signage. As Bismarck co-founder Alexandra Lund explains, they wrapped the main part of the truck bodies with 3M IJ180 and 3M Envision Gloss Overlaminate 8048G to resemble a paint job, then produced panels for the sides of the pump tank, as it was made of a material to which vinyl could not adhere.
Driving Sales
“It’s a delightful feeling to come across the vehicles we’ve wrapped still cruising the roads, looking as good as ever, [even] years later,” Michael Snow, owner of Innovative Sign Systems (Vista, CA) says. But first they need to be created, like the wraps he designed and installed for Excel Services’ (Escondido, CA) fleet. Using 3M’s IJ180Cv3 removable cast vinyl printed on a Roland TrueVis VG2-640 and allowing the solvents time to evaporate before incorporating a 3M Scotchcal Matte Overlaminate 8520 will allow the bright blend of colors to really shine for years to come.
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Fast, Foolproof Branding
When franchise vehicles in Sanford, FL, need branding, they call Media 1/Wrap This. No stranger to wrapping large fleets of service company vehicles, Vice President Rick Ream says they complete about 40-50 vehicles a month due to their ability to build on their production and find more efficient procedures, thus making the same job more profitable for the shop and more affordable for their clients. This particular wrap for Swift Brothers was created using an HP Latex 800 Series printer on 3M IJ180Cv3 vinyl wrap film with 3M 8518 gloss overlaminate, applied by 3M certified installers.
A Truck with Pull
Image360 San Antonio West (San Antonio) and Banis Towing (Leon Valley, TX) have been working together for years, Image360 owner Scott Milgrom says. So when Banis owner Jason Banis asked Milgrom for a unique, eye-catching design that was different from anything they had done in the past, the shop gladly took on the project. The tow truck wrap was designed, printed and installed in-house. Milgrom says Image360 strives to use eco-friendly processes as much as possible, for this project employing a 3M IJ180Cv3 vinyl and 3M 8518 overlaminate printed on an HP L360 Latex printer.
Something in the Air
Port City Signs & Graphics (Wilmington, NC) has been wrapping Salt Air’s (Wilmington, NC) vans for the past six years. Every time a new fleet is purchased or an old wrap is bubbling and failing, Port City Signs has been there to make their fleet’s branding look consistent, new and fresh, according to President & CEO Sabrina Davis. For the wraps’ design, Salt Air suggested the bright, bold greens and blues which made the trucks easily recognizable, achieving the look with 3M IJ280 vinyl and 8428 overlaminate and using Epson SureColor S80600 printers, a Royal Sovereign laminator and G-Force application tools. “There’s nothing like seeing the pride in a business owner’s face when they see the finished product on their first wrap,” Davis says.
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