If you run a home-service company—plumbing, HVAC, roofing, cleaning—your vehicles are on the road every day passing the exact people who become customers: homeowners on errands, commuting workers, neighbors peeking out at lunch. That’s why vehicle wraps and clean, branded graphics punch above their weight. Out-of-home (OOH) ads consistently drive awareness and action, and a wrapped van is local OOH you own. Recent studies show nearly 80% of consumers engaged with some form of OOH in the last 60 days, often by searching or visiting a site. That’s momentum you can tap without renting a billboard.
Why wraps work (the evidence)
OOH effectiveness keeps climbing as brands look for channels that aren’t blockable or skippable. Nielsen’s latest work on OOH impact found meaningful lifts in awareness and purchase intent when campaigns are executed well. For local service businesses, a branded vehicle is a continuous, neighborhood-level campaign—your message shows up in driveways, at signals, on school runs, and in grocery parking lots.
People are actually seeing these vehicles, too. A 3M summary of Nielsen data reports that 64% of consumers noticed vehicle wraps in the past month, outperforming other transit media and even some poster billboards. Add to that 3M’s range for daily impressions—30,000 to 70,000 for a single wrapped vehicle—and you’ve got durable visibility at a low ongoing cost.
And the audience is enormous. In 2023, 95.3% of U.S. residents drove at least occasionally, averaging 29 miles and about an hour on the road per day. That’s a sea of potential exposures right where you operate—your zip codes.
Design rules that actually move the phone
A vehicle wrap is not a brochure; it’s a 3-second read at 30 mph. Use these field-tested rules:
- One big promise line. Translate what you do into the homeowner outcome they want: “Same-day AC repair,” “No-mess drain clearing,” “Roof leak fixed today.” Clarity beats clever every time.
- Phone number huge. If someone can’t read it from two car lengths back, it’s too small. Use a contrasting, plain font—no script.
- Web and QR (optional). Include a short URL and a UTM-tagged QR code on the rear (where stopped traffic can scan). Keep it simple: yourwebsite.com/fix.
- High-contrast brand system. Pick a dominant color, high-contrast type, and a strong mark. The goal is instant recognition across your fleet and yard signs.
- Back first, then sides. Most impressions happen from behind in traffic. Prioritize the rear “billboard” and make sure your offer + phone dominate that panel.
These choices support the real-world behaviours OOH triggers—searching, visiting websites, and contacting businesses after exposure.
Make it measurable (so you know it’s working)
OOH is notorious for fuzzy math. Fix that with trackable signals:
- Unique call tracking number on the wrap(s). Provision one number per design or per metro zone so you can separate truck-driven calls from Google Ads.
- Short URL with UTM parameters (e.g., /truck) routed to a landing page. Check direct traffic spikes by ZIP after new wraps hit the road.
- “How did you hear about us?” prompt in your booking flow with “Saw your truck” as a one-tap choice.
- Launch route + pin drops. In the first two weeks, plan high-density drives through target neighborhoods during morning and late-afternoon windows. Compare inquiry lift by ZIP before/after.
- Before/after brand recall. Ask recent customers to pick your logo from a 4-logo grid in a quick text survey. More “instant recognition” over time = wrap working.
These basics align with broader OOH results showing consumers frequently take follow-up action; you’re simply catching those actions in your data instead of guessing.
How many vehicles—and what to budget
Think in terms of coverage and repetition. If your team runs three to five vehicles most days, start by wrapping your highest-mileage units (the ones doing estimates and service calls all day). Because driving exposure is constant—Americans log trillions of miles annually—your CPM (cost per thousand impressions) trends down the longer you keep wraps on the road.
Many shops refresh wraps every 4–5 years or when rebranding. While prices vary by market and square footage, the useful lens is: monthly cost of the wrap amortized over its life vs the average value of one booked job. If a $3,500 wrap amortized over 48 months costs ~$73/month, one incremental water-heater install or roof patch easily clears the expense.
Operations: where most ROI is won
A great wrap amplifies a solid operation. Tie it into:
- Routes and density. Park wrapped vehicles at the curb when onsite; stage them near subdivision entrances at lunch. This increases stationary impressions. (Studies show OOH works because it’s present where people drive and wait.)
- Neighbor note + photo. After finishing a job, send nearby homeowners a postcard or Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) featuring the same wrap design they just saw on the street. Repetition boosts recall and response, echoing OOH best practices.
- Review ask at the truck. When you hand over the invoice at the rear doors—right under the logo—ask for a Google review with a QR card. OOH exposure primes recognition; the review cements trust for the next neighbor who searches.
Common mistakes (and easy fixes)
- Too much text. If it wouldn’t fit on a yard sign, it won’t work on a van. Trim to one offer + phone + logo.
- Low contrast on busy photos. Photos often kill readability. Use solid color fields and a single accent image if needed.
- Tiny rear panel info. Your best billboard is the rear. Make the phone number and promise line fill it.
- No tracking. If you can’t attribute calls, you’ll undervalue wraps and cut them too soon.
The takeaway
OOH works because it’s in the path of daily life, and a wrapped service vehicle is OOH that lives in your neighborhoods 24/7. Consumers notice and act on outdoor messages; vehicle graphics deliver thousands of daily impressions without ongoing media fees; and nearly everyone is on the road enough to see you repeatedly. Execute the design for speed, wire up tracking, and align routes to your best ZIP codes. Do that, and your truck won’t “look nice”—it’ll book jobs.
