Vehicle branding: full wrap, panels or magnets?
Three ways to brand a vehicle, with very different costs, lifespans and reversibility. Which one suits a fleet, a campaign and a leased car.
All three put your brand on a vehicle. They differ on cost, how long they last, how well they survive the sun and whether you can undo them.
Full wrap
Printed vinyl applied across the body, including curves and contours. It is the most complete look and the one that turns a van into a brand asset.
- Best for owned fleets and long campaigns
- Protects the paint underneath
- Highest cost and the longest fitting time
- Removable by a professional without damage, if quality vinyl was used
Printed panels
Large graphics on the flat areas only. Most of the visual impact of a wrap at a fraction of the cost, because the difficult curves are left alone.
- Best for campaign vehicles and mobile billboards
- Faster to fit and to change between campaigns
- Leaves the rest of the vehicle in its original colour
Magnets
Removable panels for vehicles that cannot be permanently branded, such as leased or personal cars.
- Cheapest and completely reversible
- Limited to flat steel areas
- Can lift at speed and should be removed before washing
What the UAE sun does
Sun is the deciding factor on material. Cheap vinyl fades, cracks and becomes difficult to remove, and the cost of removal can exceed what you saved. Specify cast vinyl with a UV laminate for anything that will be on the road more than a season.
Design for a moving object
Your vehicle is read in a couple of seconds, often from the side and in traffic. Few words, a large logo, one call to action and a phone number big enough to read from the next lane. See branding and vehicle branding or, if the vehicle is the campaign itself, mobile truck advertising.
