HGVs have been in the headlines for the majority of the tail end of 2021 – unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. The shortage of drivers has created a challenging scenario for many industries, but as the UK continues to address the challenges in getting enough drivers onto the roads, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed – the power of HGV graphics as a marketing medium.
Fleets of HGVs offer unique advertising opportunities for business and brands, and are one of the most impactful forms of outdoor advertising on the market. When used effectively, they can inject an immediate boost of visibility and interest in a brand. PressOn have been printing HGV graphics for fleets for many years, so we’re taking a look at why these solutions are so powerful:
What are HGV Graphics?
In the simplest sense, HGV graphics are printed graphics which are adhered to the sides, back, and front of large trucks and other heavy goods vehicles. They can be printed/designed to almost any specification, and range from simple branding to elaborately customised prints. The graphics can be installed on a temporary or long-term basis, depending on their purpose, and are one of the most impactful and noticeable ways to market a business in person.
What are the benefits of truck advertising?
Effectively transforming a truck into a moving billboard is a fantastic way for both fleet managers and businesses to promote their services, branding, or contact details. Additional benefits include the ‘captive audience’ of motorists, flexibility when it comes to truck routes and locations, and the unique creative potential offered by the vehicle medium – to name but a few.
In a bit more detail…
A unique audience
Motorists are one of the most viable audiences when it comes to marketing to consumers, particularly on motorways during commuting hours. In 2021, despite the impact of the pandemic, 16.7 million people commuted to work via car, and while motorway traffic did decrease there were still 53.9 billion vehicle miles (bvm) driven between 2020 and 2021. That’s a lot of time to sit in traffic.
Think about a time you’ve spent in a car on the motorway, and you’ve overtaken a huge truck. Now think about how many times that happens over the course of a 30 minute journey (admittedly depending on the time of day). Now multiply that by all the other cars on the road, and extend the time over an entire day, and multiply again for the thousands of trucks on the roads. And that’s just motorways.
Motorists are required to pay attention to the other vehicles on the road (for safety), and this makes them – both on main roads and in towns and cities – a fantastic audience. They’re also subjected to fewer distractions compared to other popular locations for OOH advertising, such as city centres. It’s just them, the road, and the HGV graphics.
Dynamic, moving advertisements
One of the greatest appeals of HGV graphics and truck or other vehicle advertising more broadly is the fact that the adverts aren’t confined to one location, by their nature. As trucks within a fleet make their way along their various routes, any graphics are displayed to motorists, residents, shoppers and more in a given area.
Brands who choose to advertise on trucks can maximise this to a level of high precision, by ensuring their graphics are displayed in an area of their choice. Truck fleet managers operate a wide variety of routes, and can provide a variety of solutions for businesses looking to market via their vehicles in a range of environments.
Unique creative potential
The moving, dynamic nature of HGVs opens up a wide array of unique creative opportunities for businesses looking to tailor their messaging to the medium. Take one look at any one of the UK’s leading heritage supermarkets, and it’s easy to see how their home delivery truck marketing capitalises on this.
What kind of brands should advertise on trucks?
Like any potent form of outdoor advertising, almost any brand can make use of HGV graphics for their marketing. With that said, the medium can offer particularly effectively results for certain types of businesses:
Direct-to-consumer & fast-moving goods
It’s rather trite to point out how popular online shopping and deliveries have become. In almost every industry, brands now offer home delivery of their items, and for any company offering consumer goods – from fashion labels to homeware and electronics – trucks are a well-suited marketing medium. HGV graphics can display website details, limited offers, new product offerings or unique propositions, and can tempt potential customers on the road.
Smaller & online-only brands
In many cases, small brands won’t have access to their own fleet of HGVs, and will instead hire this service from a third party. By making use of HGV graphics, smaller or online-only brands can create a tangible presence for their marketing, and give the impression they’re more ‘established’ than they potentially are. By giving consumers the impression that a brand has literal truckloads of goods being shipped around the country, marketers can increase brand awareness and customer touchpoints, as well as qualifying the products in question as in-demand.
How to order HGV graphics
While the process of ordering printed HGV graphics will vary depending on the specifics of your location, requirements, brand, and budget, a few guiding principles apply. If you own your own HGVs or trucks, then speaking directly with a large format print supplier like PressOn is the best place to start. Once you’ve qualified a potential print supplier, speak with them about their capacity, recommendations for your own fleet, and open up a collaborative dialogue to ensure the best results.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to effectively rent trucks purely for advertising purposes, the best place to start is by researching fleet providers that could provide the right kind of marketing opportunities for you – such as In Your Space. These specialists will be able to recommend solutions tailored to your own marketing needs, and will work closely with pre-qualified print suppliers to ensure a long-lasting, high quality finish.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to find out more about HGV graphics, and the solutions that are available, then feel free to contact PressOn. Our account managers will be happy to provide recommendations for your project, and are always on hand to help our clients find the solution that’s right for them. You can reach out via our contact page. We look forward to hearing from you.
