Company is riding a new interest in mobile marketing

by Heather Hayes
for Virginia Business
July 2005

As an advertising medium, trucks and buses are pretty tough to miss. In fact, recent studies show that “fleet” advertising, as the trend is known, is just as effective as billboard advertising but half as expensive. That’s good news for Chad Martin.

His Richmond-based company, Advertise BIG Signs & Graphics, installs wraparound vinyl graphics on vehicles. The company recently became the only one in the mid-Atlantic region to be certified by manufacturer 3M to install wraparound vinyl graphics. “Just like people don’t want some jackleg mechanic working out of their home garage, companies don’t want just anybody installing these vinyl graphics,” Martin explains. “It takes a lot of training and experience to do it correctly, and companies want that guarantee that you know what you’re doing, and that 3M will back up its product.”

In fact, demand for his services are so great that Martin can barely keep up. He’s received calls from companies as far away as Canada and Utah that need a certified company to install graphics on locally based vehicles. The company recently installed 28 vehicle wraps advertising the National Safe Kids program and put lettering on shuttle buses at Richmond International Airport.

Advertise BIG did $440,000 in business last year, and Martin projects revenue to top $625,000 this year. Clients include Sears, the U.S. Navy, Washington Dulles International Airport, Hampton Inn, Million Air and Radio Disney.

Martin started his firm as a sign shop with his wife and father in 1995. “People eventually came in and wanted us to put their company logo on the door of their pickup truck,” he said. “It’s just taken off from there.”
The company now provides vinyl printing and installation services, but Martin is putting a strong focus on the installation side. He hopes to eventually have a large crew of installers that can travel to customer sites along the East Coast. The company now has eight employees. “People are already bombarded constantly by advertising messages, so why not when you’re in a car driving down the highway?”