Better Than Paint? The Pros and Cons of Car Wrapping

Car wrapping is a practice in marketing that turns a certain vehicle into an “advertisement on wheels” while complimenting its design and accentuating its metal stamping.

Though this process has proven to be effective in a lot of advertising campaigns, car wrapping also has its advantages and setbacks, and they are as follows:

The Pros

• Great Visibility

While cruising along busy streets, you can get a lot of people looking at whatever is on your car. According to some studies, a vehicle wrap can gather 30,000 to 70,000 views per day, and at least 400,000 impressions per year. Of course, it depends on what vehicle is being driven, through which streets, and how many bystanders there may be.

If the driver is good at what he does though, he can even make traffic jams very “productive”, so long as he can make the vehicle seen by both motorists and pedestrians alike. This then makes a very good case for mobile advertising.

• Advertising Space

Since it’s your own vehicle, there is no need to share space with other advertisers, givng you full control over the surface of your vehicle. Having your own space means more creative possibilities, allowing you to come up with various ways to be more eye-catching.

• Maintenance, Longevity, and Replacement

If the wrap is printed with quality inks, and if the cast vinyl is coupled with laminate protection, you can get up to five years out of your vehicle wrap. That makes for potential cost-effectiveness with your marketing investment. It’s also good for the vehicle since the wrap protects the paint job underneath. It’s easy to clean and maintain, and you can have it removed just as easily if you want it changed.

Since car wrapping isn’t exactly a risk-free decision, we also have to be equally aware of its disadvantages as much as we remember its advantages. And they are as follows.

THE CONS

• High Initial Cost

Even though they’re not as expensive as TV advertisements, car wrapping stil costs a pretty penny. The objective is to make the most out of it through proper maintenance and tons of exposure, but whether this particular goal will be achieved or not will depend upon the next point.

• Age and Wear

While vinyl manufacturers guarantee 5 to 10 years out of your vehicle wrap, it doesn’t really consider significant factors like driving conditions, weather, and various other things that can wear down essential car parts like the engine, the radiator, the tires, and so on. While you want to make the most of it through public exposure, you still need to keep it as mint as possible to get the most out of it.

• Bad for Damaged or Repainted Vehicles

If it is your intent to wrap your vehicle, it better be a new one or it will ruin the paint job of damaged or repainted cars. The vinyl can’t stick to repainted vehicles, and anything less than a pristine surface makes for very bad vehicle wrap fodder.