A/C Company Service Van design options for Wraps
At Mission Air Conditioning, we have begun working on our new vehicle design for 2014. To do so we have used Ford’s commercial vehicle design simulator. We thought it would be best to give a preview and reveal some of the design options we are comparing.
The vehicle featured is the new Ford Transit service vehicle. The benefit of these service vehicles is that they are light and use a fraction of the gas that larger commercial vans do. The downside is that they are less visible on the road. They are much smaller than the Mercedes or Dodge high top Sprinter vans and therefore the awareness built off of these moving billboards is lessened.
Keeping in mind several of the 22 Immutable laws of Marketing (if you’ve not read it you should pick it up.) In thinking of the vehicles two of the laws are relevant.
Law #3 – “Law of Mind”
You don’t have to be the first company to market. You need to be the first in the mind of the consumer. Huge in residential repair b/c customers are most apt to buy from the first tech to walk in the door.
Law #16 – “Law of Singularity”
People tend to think that success is built on many small steps well executed. In marketing the only thing that works is a single bold stroke.
Vehicle Specifics.
Black – Looks awesome. Speaks out except the words ‘Air Conditioning’ would need to change due to the dark blue. The downside with black is that it attracts dirt more easily and would need to be cleaned more often. It may also fade with time.
White – Traditional. The logo needs to be darker. Appears to be a little bit translucent. Doesnt stand out as much as the black or golds. The positive here is the cost. This is the cheapest option.
Gold/Yellow – Really loud. Will be much harder to miss on the road. Also has the potential to detract accidents. I like the second one more because of its more intense hue. The wreath around the wheel well however is a nice touch. However we don’t want to give off the impression that we are florists.
CONCLUSION
After a quick review of these options. We will likely move forward with a modified version of the white vehicle. This will be primarily for the sake of expense. This is the least expensive of all the options. Considering the Immutable laws this may not be the most “singular” move possible however the placement/frequency that vehicles will be seen especially in target markets will begin to build brand awareness and help with the “law of mind”.
As an anecdote on this topic I’ve noticed that Church Services always parks a vehicle outside of Shipley’s donuts on Sunday mornings right by Houston’s 1st Baptist Church(3rd largest church in Houston). Coincidence? One Plumber always has a hankering for Shipley’s kolache’s every week? More likely they are trying to be seen by the thousands of people headed to church.
Down the road it is probable that we will convert to the more obnoxious yellow vehicles to set more deeply into the mind of consumers. Unless of course we are able to acquire yellow/gold vans for a reasonable price in the mean time.
