Mobile Truck Advertising: Your Ad Might Cause Bad Reputation

Mobile Truck Advertising

Out-of-home (OOH), advertising is an essential medium through which companies build brand awareness. One of the most popular OOH advertising platforms is mobile truck advertising. In it rucks ferry billboards to target locations during an ad campaign.

Mobile truck advertising promises high exposure but low conversion

Sure, trucks traverse thousands of miles in a day, exposing billboards to thousands of people. Mainly, periods of traffic on highways expose people inside cars to the message for a longer duration. Thus, are more effective. Studies show that 91% of people inside vehicles look at truck-side billboards actively at the time of exposure. However, under 35% of the viewers follow up on the advertisement on online platforms, the study further reveals. Of the 35% who follow up on the ad, just a handful make a direct action, making the medium quite inefficient.

Backers of mobile truck advertising argue that the medium reaches consumers “at the point of purchase.” On the upside, this is an advantage because it enables advertisers to reach deep into the market. However, the advertising medium suffers from similar issues that plague the entire OOH advertising sector. Notably, advertisers are unable to pinpoint the exact section of the target audience that they would like to reach. It explains the low rates of brand engagement.

Truck Ads and Reputation

Brands are looking for alternatives to static traditional OOH advertising as vehicle advertising or digital mobile OOH. The use of ads on advertising trucks has been emerging as an unconventional tactics however it has risks related to the impact on reputation. When the vehicle carries the advertisement of the brand on the road, the advertising truck serves as brand ambassador. Any driving misbehavior could impact directly the brand image. In addition, advertising trucks have several pitfalls as low return on the ad investment, difficult to track the outcomes and low brand recall. Advertising trucks cannot target precisely the exact audience as any traffic driver could be targeted. There are some parts of the country and others globally, with restrictions on billboards. As such, advertisers cannot access the areas during an ad campaign. In such a situation, truck-side advertising is an ideal alternative. Notably, advertisers can attach different types and sizes of billboards on the side of trucks.

Relying on trucks to ferry your messages during ad campaigns carries other risks that you might not be prepared to tackle. For example, your brand will take the heat if the driver of the truck misbehaves on the road. Customers tend to associate the brand with the behavior of the truck drivers. It is because the customers believe the trick drivers represent your brand wherever they drive.

Additionally, if the billboard on the truck is faded, customers may view that as a sign of negligence. Notably, customers are sensitive people, and a small thing is big enough to send them scattering away from your business. Billboards that are not attended to communicate a different message, one that tells the customers that your business might ignore them soon after. Your business should not suffer such an embarrassment.

From the preceding, it is prudent to keep the billboards on the truck side in good condition at all times. It means that you will be spending extra money to ensure that you protect the reputation of the business.

The Challenge of Billboard Costs

Effective media should enable a clear way to track the number of impressions.  Traditional OOH advertising as billboards displays a lack of targeting and tracking possibilities. The fact that many highway drivers cannot focus on the ad message generates a low engagement with the target audience.  The costs of billboards depend on format, circulation, demographics, and impressions. Traditional billboards have high costs, low ROI cost varies from $14,000 to-20,000/month in larger markets.  Some cities imposed a ban on billboards due to visual pollution. Unconventional agencies provide alternatives to the targeting issues with approaches such as mobile billboards, digital OOH, ads on trucks, and other ads in places people don’t expect to see as flags, backpacks, inflatable objects, gas pumps, and balloons.

Billboard costs depend on format, circulation, demographics, and impressions. Traditional billboards cost $14,000-20,000/month in larger markets. With the cost of a billboard/per month, the advertiser can place its message on 40,000 coffee sleeves in 40 different coffee shops during the same period.

Eco-Friendly Truck Advertising Strategies

While many blogs discuss truck advertising‘s reach and visibility, there’s little focus on sustainable advertising options. You could explore how eco-conscious brands can use electric trucks or green-friendly wraps made from biodegradable or recyclable materials. Highlighting case studies of brands that have leveraged eco-friendly practices for their mobile ads would resonate with modern, environmentally-conscious consumers.

1. Interactive Technology in Truck Advertising

Several blogs mention QR codes and augmented reality (AR) but don’t delve into how real-time engagement and tracking can enhance campaigns. Your blog could focus on how brands can use truck ads as dynamic tools, integrating live streaming, geotagging, or AR features that allow users to interact with the advertisement via their smartphones, turning a passive experience into an engaging one. Additionally, this could lead to a discussion on measuring conversion rates and tracking engagement from truck ads.

2. Hyper-Localized Marketing Through Truck Advertising

Truck advertising is often discussed in the context of large-scale campaigns, but there’s a gap in how it can be used for hyper-localized, community-based campaigns. For example, small businesses or local franchises can use truck advertising to specifically target neighborhood events, festivals, or high-traffic areas relevant to their demographic. This approach would provide actionable insights for businesses looking to target a specific local audience.

3. Brand Storytelling with Truck Fleets

While fleet advertising is mentioned, there’s an opportunity to explore how brands can tell cohesive narratives using multiple trucks. By coordinating a fleet of trucks, businesses can create a moving narrative, where different trucks deliver different parts of a story or message. This creative approach could be highly memorable and allow brands to share a more comprehensive, evolving message as their fleet moves across a city.