EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING VEHICLE and Why It's The Move
Surprise-and-delight people with unique brand experiences
Experiential vehicles create activation spaces wherever you like
Put your experiential truck or trailer on a cross-country tour
Customize your vehicle with wraps, props, screens, activities, and installations
Generate a steady stream of content for Instagram Stories
Invite to your community and influencers to your vehicle marketing activation
Measure your growth via engagements, social shares, and sales
What is an experiential marketing vehicle?
Experiential marketing vehicles are trucks, trailers, vans, campers, Airstreams, buses, and SUVs transformed into standout multi-sensory, real world, brand engagement platforms. These experiential marketing vehicles allow brands to activate on city streets, outside stores, at conventions, and inside festivals.
Experiential marketing vehicles are utilized for many things, from brand sampling to installations to performances.
They provide companies with high-quality brand impressions, memorable moments, and direct sales.
Top-level experiential vehicles serve as a platform to spark meaningful connections, transforming people into brand advocates.
Vehicles are creatively designed to reflect the brand's identity and initiative with exterior vinyl wraps, product displays, and activities.
Vehicle marketing vehicles are accompanied by brand ambassadors to engage the public, plus often product specialists, celebrities, and influencers.
The primary purpose of an experiential marketing vehicle is to bring your brand experience directly to people.
Trucks, trailers, and campers are a way for brands bring their experience directly to the people rather than relying on them to seek out the brand.
Experiential marketing vehicles are a costly investment to design, fabricate, and deploy.
Selecting the right vehicle and go-to-market strategy is essential to create successful brand outcomes.
Experiential Marketing Vehicle Services
1.) Develop a marketing vehicle concept and strategy to achieve your brand goals
2.) Vehicle design, fabrication, and customization
3.) Activation planning, staffing, deployment, management, maintenance, parking, insurance, and reporting
Experiential Vehicle Options
Mobile Showroom
A truck with see-through glass walls, perfect for outdoor city activations requiring a dedicated, enclosed brand experience space. Mobile showrooms come in two sizes; 12' and 18-20' of interior activation space. You can wrap the exterior of the vehicle with custom printed vinyl, including the cab and roof. Mobile showrooms are leveraged for single pop-up activations as well as national tours.
Food Truck / Step-Van
A food truck, also known as a step-van, is excellent for creating a big presence and for on-the-street experiential marketing activations.
You can have a food truck with all the cooking equipment or one without, providing your brand ample storage and prep space. These vehicles create one of the most significant brand impact you can achieve in cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles as they act a 360-degree billboard.
Food truck activations typically involve complimentary giveaways to the public. Although, you can also offer food in exchange for app sign-ups or other actions. You can create a custom menu items and host brand activities outside the truck.
Food truck marketing vehicles are a tried-and-true strategy for brand releases and advertising campaign kick-offs. If you want people to line up for your brand activation, food trucks are the way to go!
Ice Cream Truck
Ice cream trucks bring a fun and delightful vibe to brand activations.
Choose from a classic vintage ice cream truck or newer step-vans converted to serve up ice cream. If you're entertaining the idea of traveling from city-to-city, a newer vehicle is recommended as they're much more reliable.
Similar to food trucks, your ice cream truck marketing activation can integrate brand displays, activities, and ambassadors.
Airstream
This American classic, typically a trailer, is often activated inside festivals or on city plazas due to size and setup time. They're superb for brand showroom experiences as they're easily accessible with ample area for displays. Due to their size, Airstream marketing activations are only activated with event or with city permission.
Camper
Campers are super cute and versatile. Activate them as a showroom, sampling station, or other creative ideas. You can deploy a camper showroom on-the-street, at events, or for retail store tour. We like campers a lot as they compact, but impactful.
Piaggio Ape
This European-styled, three-wheel Piaggio Ape is excellent for smaller activations. They're somewhere between a mobile showroom and a pushcart. Perfect centerpiece for an elevated, brand-sponsored coffee, pastry, or flower giveaway on-the-street, at an event, or outside a shop. Perfect for luxury brands and others seeking an elevated, stylish appearance.
Citroen H Van
A Citroen H Van is a vintage-style experieniental vehicle ideal for creating a compelling, upscale brand presence. Vehicles in the States are often replicas of the original and aren't street legal, so they are towed to and from activations. The interior space is just enough for a small walk-in brand showroom, although most companies utilize Citroen H Vans for activation concepts where people walk-up to server window for samples and experiences.
Sprinter Van
A Sprinter or similar-style van is a popular experiential vehicle. They're ideal for sampling, especially when the product is large or heavy, like ready-to-drink beverages. Roadworthiness is why they're attractive - Sprinters are the most reliable out of all the other experiential choices, excellent for a cross-country tour or a year-round sampling initiative.
VW Bus
A VW Bus is a classic! Often, brands utilize them for their authenticity and nostalgic appeal. However, VW buses aren't ideal for city-to-city mobile marketing tours due to their unreliability.
SUV with Rooftop Installation
Simple but effective - an SUV with 3D sign on the roof is the most cost-effective way to create a noticeable citywide presence, plus versatile in terms on-the-street parking and samples or swag storage. And these are one of the few electric experiential vehicle options.
Experiential Vehicle Insights
1.) Cities typically don't require permits to activate your experiential marketing vehicle
2.) Venue and parking permits are available if you desire to park on a specific city block
3.) Most brands enlist an agency to provide vehicle drivers and management (as they're cumbersome to own, maintain, and store)
4.) Assign a vehicle team for each region (e.g., Northeast, Southwest, West Coast, etc.) to reduce costly travel time
5.) Digital integrations, influencers, and social media are integral to leveraging your experiential vehicle investment
6.) Staff your mobile marketing vehicle with at least one brand ambassador and an onsite manager/driver
7.) Ensure to budget for overnight parking, daily cleaning, travel & lodging, and monthly maintenance
8.) Safety and contingency planning are essential with all experiential marketing vehicle activations
9.) Insurance covering your vehicle, staff, and the public is essential
Availability
Experiential marketing vehicle activations are available nationwide from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles and every city in between.
Takeaway
Experiential vehicles do the heaving lifting regarding your marketing goals; reach new audiences, create a memorable presence, showcase the brand, provide experiences, create content, and drive sales.
Connect
Reach out with your experiential marketing vehicle dreams and goals.
Explore More
Sometimes a vehicle isn't an optimal fit, explore Sampling Bike Carts and Street Team Marketing.
