The surging popularity of vehicle wraps has opened new doors for brand promotion and artistic expression. Photos courtesy C17media
By Carly McHugh
As businesses and individuals strive to stand out in today’s bustling world, the surging popularity of vehicle wraps has not only changed the way we look at cars, but it has also opened new doors for brand promotion and artistic expression.
According to a recent report from Fact.MR, the global automotive wrap market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing popularity of project customization and the rise in commercial applications. Currently valued at US$7.1 billion (C$9.5 billion), it is projected to reach US$ 54.1 billion (C$72.4 billion) in the next 10 years.1
For an inside look at the evolution of vehicle graphics, Sign Media Canada spoke with Chris Pereira, president of print and wrap shop C17media in Richmond Hill, Ont. Pereira highlighted the growth the market and its offerings have experienced in recent years, as well as the versatile applications now offered for both commercial advertising and personal expression.
Sign Media Canada (SMC): What do you believe is driving the popularity of vehicle graphics in recent years?
Chris Pereira (CP): I think it depends on the end result. In commercial graphics, it’s one of the cheapest ways to get viewership. Compared to using magazines and billboards, it’s a very effective way to get your brand out there.
On the personalization side, it comes down to the cost and the ability to do what couldn’t be done before. Ten years ago, doing a colour change using vinyl wasn’t really possible. The key manufacturers just didn’t have the technology or the film to make it look good, whereas now, we’re at a point where we can make it work.
When it comes to racing, livery has always been a form of expression in motorsports, but it was typically painted. You’d have your base colour—blue, white, or whatever it might be—and then you’d have pinstriping, logos painted on, and so forth. The advancement in film technology has allowed us to change from paint to vinyl wraps. Now, there are very few (if any) race cars that use paint work, aside from maybe a base colour, because that’s how the car came out of the factory. For any additional designs, it’s all gone the way of vinyl.
SMC: How do wraps compare to traditional advertising methods in terms of cost-effectiveness and overall impact?
Colour changes allow car owners to give their rides a new look, without having to repaint them.
CP: On the commercial side, there’s a very high value to doing a vehicle wrap. Obviously, this is dependent on the type of vehicle. A box truck is going to give you a larger surface area to express your brand on versus a Smart car or a motorcycle. Then, of course, you want to look at driving habits. If you’re doing a delivery vehicle, it’s a no-brainer. They should all be branded. However, if it’s something that doesn’t see the road very often, you might not get your return on investment (ROI) after you pay for the wrap.
SMC: How have businesses been leveraging vehicle graphics to enhance their brand visibility and reach their target audiences?
CP: For the most part, a lot of the brands we work with start off kind of basic, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Essentially, they might get a white or black car, and we’ll do something as simple as a cut vinyl logo for their doors and back window. The cost is very minimal, so it’s a way for them to dip their feet in and see if they’re seeing return. It’s a little bit hard to measure at times, but we find most of the customers who do that—when their lease is over, or sometimes even before that—end up returning and wanting to make a bigger statement. Instead of just a couple of logos on the car, it becomes more of a branded vehicle as a whole. We would start to wrap the entire vehicle or find a middle ground with a partial wrap. For example, the front half of the car would be left white and then the back half would be a full livery.
