Ever since Milton Hershey, one of the biggest chocolate manufacturers, painted his company car to promote his brand, fleet advertising has proven to be a highly effective form of advertising.
A method of advertising that became increasingly popular in the 1950's is being used by some companies today in the digital era to stand out in the face of advancing technology. That said, below are 6 of the most iconic car wrap examples.
1. Red Bull
Originally from Thailand, Red Bull gave energy boosts to laborers like truck drivers, farmers, and factory workers. When Red Bull entered the European market, it quickly became popular as a drink mixer at clubs and energy boosters for extreme sports enthusiasts. To expand on this market, cofounder Dietrich Mateschitz continued to target young party-goers by deploying hundreds of branded cars driven by young college students to distribute free products throughout college campuses.
Sources: Howard, Andria. "Wonderful, Weird History of Domino's Pizza Delivery Cars." DriveTribe.
2. Dominos
The '59 VW Beetle (above) is the first delivery car used by founder Tom Monaghan and currently in display at Domino's corporate headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As their business empire grew, they utilized car wraps on revolutionary car models from Triton A2 Aerocars to Delorean DMC-12's. Nowadays, you'll simply find car tops, identifying Domino's delivery drivers coming to a neighborhood near you. The car tops will reflect three dots, representing the first three locations in 1965. Initially, there were plans to add a new dot for every new location, but that plan quickly dissipated upon the brands rapid growth.
3. Oscar Mayer
Recognized for having one of the longest-running TV commercials in the country (a young boy holding a fishing rod with a sandwich singing "My bologna has a first name and i'ts O-S-C-A-R."), Oscar Mayer holds true to long-standing advertising methods that work. Created in 1936 and still touring the country to this day, they hired college seniors to drive around and distribute free products. As a result, this led to a movement of people taking pictures for social media and asking questions about the brand.
4. Police
Interesting fact. The first police vehicle was a wagon that ran by electricity in Akron, OH. Police vehicles came straight from the factory mostly in a single color, either Black or White. The contrasting colors of Black and White were actually used to stand out from civilian vehicles as well as providing a visible deterrent to crime while patrolling an area.
5. Geek Squad
The original Geek Squad cars were classic cars like '60 Ford Falcon. After being acquired by Best Buy in 2002, they transitioned to the now iconic black and white VW Beetle. With over 20,000 agents and over 13,000 house calls a day, these cars have become at the core of their image. Then in 2016, they decided to rebrand themselves with a new logo and economical Toyota Prius C's.
6. Goodyear
Although this is not a car wrap, we thought it was a honorable mention considering it harnessed the power of outdoor advertising using their version of fleet vehicles. As Goodyear had successfully built a tire empire, they were looking to expand and started capitalizing on the aircraft scene. This eventually led to the creation of the iconic Goodyear Blimp. These blimps had multiple use cases ranging from advertising, military defense applications, to publicly broadcasting live events like the Olympics and World Series. After successfully leaving a mark in history, Goodyear blimps is leaving an impression in the digital space. They now have their own website goodyearblimps.com and soon after built a loyal fan base through their own social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.