A few years ago, my marketing coach at the time was also a book-writing coach. Despite her very best efforts, I would not entertain the idea of becoming an author, and eventually, we parted ways.
Some years later (2024 to be precise), I finally felt like I had something to write about that people might be interested in reading.
And so, as a precursor to the Visibility Blueprint, I penned “20 Ways to Stand Out Using Print” and self-published it on Amazon (KDP).
The premise behind the book is similar to that behind the Visibility Blueprint: social media and SEO are failing small businesses, so they need to do something different if they want to reach their target audiences.
Print is something I know very well, having been a graphic designer for all my working life. So I thought I’d dump that experience on paper in a vaguely entertaining and informative way, while encouraging small business owners to reconsider using print as part of their marketing.
Sales began in January this year, and so far, the people behind the Booker Prize, or indeed the Reader’s Digest, have yet to get in touch. I expect they’re busy.
Because I’m feeling generous, I thought I’d give you a free sample. Here, for your browsing pleasure, is the chapter about vehicle graphics. I hope you’ll appreciate that I’ve tried to make a pretty dry topic as interesting as possible.
Enjoy (if that’s the word I’m looking for).
Vehicle Graphics
We’re in the “expensive” section now, so to begin, we’re going to take a brief excursion to examine the history of mobile marketing – the human billboard.
Carrying signs and wearing advertising hoardings has a long and colourful history, and one noteworthy, but barely known, practitioner was Stanley Green.
In the late 1960s, Stanley began his mobile advertising career in my hometown of Harrow, in the sleepy suburbs of northwest London.
A practical chap, it didn’t take him long to realise there were better venues for campaigning than outside Sopers department store. So, he got on his bike and pedalled the 12 miles to London’s premier tourist trap, Oxford Street, where he became part of the furniture for the next twenty-five years.
Stanley’s mission was to patrol the pavement six days a week with a large sign warning us all to “LUST LESS BY LESS PROTEIN.” If you couldn’t dodge him, he’d try to sell you a home-printed pamphlet titled Eight Passion Proteins With Care. In it, he argued that avoiding meat, fish, eggs, nuts and similar foods (and also sitting) was essential to save Britain from carnal collapse into Moral Turpitude.
While this may seem an unusual and rather pathetic way to spread his message, by 1993 he’d sold 87,000 pamphlets. Whether London’s West End was less lustful as a result remains unclear.
As a human billboard, Stanley Green was not alone. He rubbed shoulders with dozens of other ‘sandwich men’, as Charles Dickens described them a century before. They infested Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road with kindly invitations to HOT CHINESE BUFFETS, HALF-PRICE TANNING, CLOSING DOWN GOLF SALES, COMPUTER FAIRS, TOP QUALITY SOFAS (Direct from the Factory) and POSH LEATHER & SHEEPSKIN DESIGNER WEAR.
London’s lowly sandwich men (and latterly, women) had been a fixture in the city for nearly 200 years until 2008, when Westminster Council banned them. A councillor, Daniel Astaire, commented, apparently without a hint of irony, “This is a world-class city, not a junkyard.”
I don’t know your opinions about proteins, and I’m certainly not suggesting you strap advertising boards to yourself and march up and down your local high street (although if you fancy it, don’t let me stop you). But the idea of mobile advertising and getting your brand out among the people has (I’m so sorry) got legs.
The most effective way for you to do this (which Westminster Council has yet to ban) is to add branded advertising to your car or van.
There are three options to do this. The cheapest way is to use magnetic panels. The more traditional method is to go for cut vinyl lettering, while the most expensive route is to invest in a full vehicle wrap.
Whichever you choose, vehicle graphics are among the most cost-effective and visible ways of publicising your business.
Low-Budget: Magnetic Panels
Magnetic panels are a cheap and flexible way to add branding to your car or van. They’re thin, durable and easy to remove and re-apply, making them a great option if you lease your vehicle, as they don’t damage your paintwork.
You can create them in custom shapes, so they don’t have to be boring, bland rectangles. You can even try to complement the colour of your car’s bodywork.
When using magnetic panels on your vehicle, you are restricted by the size of individual bodywork panels and, as they are magnetic, they don’t stick to plastic bodywork or glass. This limitation means you often don’t have a lot of space to include things like long web addresses, but this is where a QR code comes in handy.
I have a client who is an online optician. He uses a QR code on his branded magnetic panels, so shoppers can scan the code to visit his online shop wherever his car is parked, which is frequently outside his local branch of Specsavers! I do love a bit of guerrilla marketing.
Medium Budget: Cut Vinyl Lettering
If you don’t wish to be constrained by the panel sizes of your car’s bodywork, you can use cut vinyl lettering to sign-write your vehicle instead. Otherwise known as decals, cut vinyl lettering allows you a bit more creative freedom. You can extend your messaging over the entire length of your car and apply them to windows too if you wish.
Cut vinyl graphics are made from a thin, self-adhesive film that is die-cut and supplied on a backing sheet – rather like grown-up versions of the stickers we had as kids. The graphics are applied to your vehicle’s paintwork by carefully using a squeegee to ensure there are no trapped air bubbles.
I don’t recommend you do this yourself, but if you do, you’ll need patience, a steady hand and clean bodywork before you begin. They are a nightmare to reposition if you get it wrong, so I suggest getting a specialist body shop to do it for you.
Vinyl is durable and long-lasting and will survive the elements as well as repeated trips through the car wash. However, when removed, they can leave a trace on your paintwork if not done carefully.
Big-Budget: Vehicle Wraps
If you want your car or van (or bus, lorry or cement mixer) to make a big impact, you need a vehicle wrap. Whatever your mode of transport, wrapping can cover it entirely or just a part of it. Vehicle wraps involve printing your advertising graphics on large vinyl sheets, which are applied to the bodywork and then heat-treated in position.
Applying wraps is definitely not a DIY job. It should be undertaken by a specialist body shop, who may also create the graphics for you, as they will need to be designed to accommodate the curved surfaces of your bodywork.
Wrapping Glass for Privacy
Vehicle glass can be wrapped using Contra Vision, a special vinyl with micro-holes that allows light in and lets you see out. Applied to the outside of the glass, it displays your branding as a one-way graphic while keeping the interior private. It’s a smart way to extend your message without losing functionality (just don’t use it on your windscreen).
The Benefits of Vehicle Graphics
Vehicle graphics give your brand visibility wherever you go, often attracting attention even when you’re off duty. Arriving at appointments or job sites in a branded vehicle adds credibility, showing you’re serious and invested in your business – setting you apart from anonymous white van drivers. Including logos for trade accreditations can further boost trust and professionalism.
For local businesses, vehicle graphics raise your profile in the community, and they’re incredibly cost-effective. Unlike ongoing digital or print ad costs, a one-time investment in vehicle graphics keeps promoting your business for years.
So, whatever your business, even if you’re flogging posh sheepskin coats or campaigning for the suppression of desire among degenerate Londoners, mobile advertising works, and your vehicle is the perfect place for it.
There you are - if nothing else, you’ve heard all about Stanley Green!
If you liked that sort of thing, “20 Ways to Stand Out Using Print” isn’t just a book about print.
It also explores the realities of small-business marketing today, how we got here, and how to move forward.
I also talk about why DIY design might be hurting your brand and why lead generation is more effective than brand awareness.
I discuss the importance of mapping customer journeys and using print to create powerful touchpoints.
It’s available from Amazon, in paperback and eBook versions.
It is just me, or does the image say 'Less Lust' rather than 'Lust Less'? Totally changes the vibe! One feels a bit like a stern librarian confiscating your erotica, the other’s more Zen monk choosing vibes over urges. Curious which mood you were going for! 🤔