If You Want People to Look at You, Then Behave When They Do
Vehicle signage has always been a good way of gaining visibility for a brand or a business. You’re making impressions with every mile you drive.
Whether it’s an eye-catching vehicle wrap or a semi-trailer emblazoned with a delicious-looking burger and fries – or even just a simple bit of business-promoting artwork on a car – it’s like free advertising. After all, you or your people were driving somewhere anyway, so the signage is a relatively tiny added cost.
But there’s a public relations aspect involved too. When you’re driving a vehicle that says “look at me!” you really need to keep in mind the impressions you’re making. Drive like a jerk and your business, or your brand if it happens on a larger scale, is tarnished.
Like the other day, I was on the receiving end of some aggressive driving on a major highway, and as I pulled over, the car that passed had a political candidate’s sign on it. Now, this happened to be a candidate that I wasn’t going to vote for anyway – I support her opponent – but if I was really unsure about my vote, this could have been what pushed me into a decision.
Unfair? Maybe. It may not have been the candidate herself behind the wheel. Could be a family member or just some random idiot who happens to support her. Regardless, the impression was made.
So there’s a lesson here. That is that our impressions are formed hundreds of different ways. It pays to be careful in each one of those ways that the impressions you’re conveying are positive ones.
In the case of vehicle signage, that means driving safely and politely and keeping in mind that more eyes are on you while you’re on the road. Driving thoughtfully – which by the way is good advice anytime, even if you’re not decked out in signage — guarantees that the impressions you convey will be good ones.