Drive Your Way to Marketing Success
By: Tina Bell Director of Marketing, HealthCARE Express When I first moved to the town I now call home six years ago, I didn’t have a doctor. In fact, I didn’t even know where to begin to go if a cold bug bit me that fall. But I knew there was a pharmacy in town on College Drive because I saw their cute little Urkle-Style car proudly displaying their logo as it zipped around town. The only other doctor I knew about was a podiatrist, whose fun yellow convertible with its Austin Power’s design, proudly displaying his logo, was also driven all over town. Later that fall I noticed a Honda Element creatively decorated for a local Medical Practice company. It too was creating buzz as it zipped in and out of businesses, and little did I know at that time, but soon I would be driving it as their director of marketing. Fast forward a few years. The Urkle-Style Car and the fun yellow convertible still can be seen all over town. Now, several other companies also have vehicle wrapped cars. After racking up almost 300,000 miles, our Honda was traded in for a Mazda 2, and the car wrap was overhauled with a newer, sleeker wrap-design to match our new brand image. History of Rolling Billboards In 1993, the marketing team at Pepsi took outdoor advertising to new heights, when thanks to a new product developed by the 3M Company, they were able to completely transform a city bus into a rolling billboard for Crystal Pepsi. Soon, freight companies cashed in on the advertising medium, wrapping tractor-trailer rigs in advertisements for other companies. By 2000, car wrap advertising had positioned itself as the “new billboard” for the 21st century. Today, companies like SeaWorld with their Shamu wrapped VW Bugs, to small, locally owned insurance agencies and real estate firms all utilize these mobile billboards. Measuring Return on Street Smart Advertising But are car wraps really worth the investment, or could that money be better spent elsewhere, especially in the Medical Practice industry? According to a study done by Simmons Market Research, it’s estimated that one mobile billboard truck can make over 1.5 million impressions per month in an area with a population of 5 million people. Other studies indicate that in smaller markets, a wrapped car makes between 30,000 to 70,000 impressions a day, when driven on a frequent basis. At our Medical Practices, our marketers are required to spend at least 85% of their time outside of the office, promoting our company, building and maintaining business relationships, and attending community events. Instead of paying mileage, which adds up quickly, they use our company car. When they’re not driving our company car, our occupational medicine team utilizes it on callouts for on-site drug testing and/or company physicals. Our company car easily travels over 100 miles a day, sometimes much more. It only makes sense that while it travels, it also serves as a billboard for our Medical Practice clinics. Cost to Wrap a Vehicle The initial start-up cost for purchasing a wrapped vehicle is oftentimes the roadblock for many Medical Practice owners, especially those reluctant to spend a lot of money on their marketing efforts. In addition to shelling out around $2,000 for the actual car wrap, you’ll also have to invest in a small vehicle, costing you around $15,000 to $20,000 depending on the vehicle you choose. If you consider a well used company car and a good car wrap last an average of five years, that equates to around $4,000 a year, spread out over time, for your marketing investment. Where to Use Your Car Wrap The great thing about your wrapped car is it can be utilized as so much more than just a company vehicle used to shuttle people around town. It can also be used at your grand opening or at grand openings for other businesses. It can be part of your booth at outdoor community events, and it can serve as your float in community parades. Additionally, when it is not in use, it can be parked in front of your Medical Practice as an additional sign, without having to go through all the headache of dealing with the local planning and zoning commission. Designing Your Car Wrap If you’ve decided you’re ready to turn the key and get started driving your new wrapped car, there are a few things to keep in mind as you design the wrap. First, negotiate the design fee as part of the purchase price for the wrap. Many companies will design the concept for free in exchange for getting your business. Second, if you have, or are planning to have, more than one Medical Practice in the same area, you may consider not putting the phone number or address on the car. Instead, use your company’s website to direct people to if they want more information about your Medical Practice. Happy marketing, errr, I mean driving! [Editor's Note: Tina Bell is the director of marketing for HealthCARE Express and the director of business development for Medical Practice Success. She will be speaking on this and other topics at the upcoming Medical Practice Success Summit. Click here to learn more about the Success Summit.]
