Companies that operate delivery trucks in metropolitan areas own one of the hottest commodities in the advertising industry — a commodity so hot that some of the country’s largest advertisers, such as McDonald’s and Frito-Lay, have jumped on the bandwagon.
NUR America Inc.
Advertising on trucks that deliver in densely populated areas - like this Roadway Express truck in San Francisco - has become a less-expensive alternative to traditional billboards.
“Fleet graphics” — corporate branding on a carrier’s fleet or distributor-owned vehicles — has existed for more than 50 years as a cheap, effective form of advertising for truck owners.
“If you own a fleet and have a brand to sell, it makes sense to leverage the truck asset and advertise your company name and logo on your vehicles,” says John Kowieski, president of Modagrafics, a privately held corporation that specializes in designing, engineering, manufacturing and installing high-performance retail graphics. “It costs the truck owner nothing to place the ads, with the exception of production costs.”
But now, trucking companies are recognizing the value of placing someone else’s name on the sides of their vehicles — often local delivery trucks and in some cases long-haul rigs. This recent trend in outdoor advertising — the lease or rental of space on the outside of trucks — is commonly known as truckside advertising.
For the full story, see the Dec. 25 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
