How Act Now Alarm Won the 2017 SAMMY Award for Best Vehicle Graphics Design
Act Now Alarm says the company’s new vehicle wrap eliminates any confusion about its service portfolio.
You have a limited time to make an impression before a potential customer’s eyes or ears go elsewhere, flipping the page on a print ad, clicking delete on an email, turning the dial from a radio spot, etc.
Why not get some extra mileage out of your vehicle fleet? Act Now Alarm of Clinton Township, Mich., can attest to the boost that branding vehicles can provide.
The company decked out half its eight-vehicle technical fleet in a new design that it rolled out in 2016 and one result was that calls beginning with “I saw one of your vehicles and would like an appointment” doubled, estimates President Dean Belisle.
“Our No. 1 source of sales leads is referrals from existing clients, while our No. 2 source is from prospects seeing our vehicles in their neighborhood. We changed our logo last year to give it more impact, and my goal was to do the same with our vehicles,” explains Belisle.
The design concept was actually Belisle’s handiwork, and aimed to address three priorities: grab onlookers’ attention, tell them what Act Now Alarm provides, and make it easy for them to contact the company.
Consider all of those priority boxes checked. The vehicle wrap clearly calls out: Act Now Alarm’s name; main phone number with three area codes; website; residential/commercial markets served; service offerings of security, fire, cameras, access control, smart technology systems and 24-hour monitoring; and its standing as an Authorized Honeywell Dealer.
The exclamation point in the logo even features a lock and keyhole. Belisle created a mock-up using his iPad and took it to a long-time Act Now Alarm customer in the sign business, who polished it with the finishing touches and then installed the wrap.
Belisle says one more older vehicle will be wrapped this year (and the other three retired) and that sales vehicles will next receive the treatment.
“I’ve seen many fantastic designs on vehicles the last few years with the popularity of vehicle wrapping,” Belisle says. “Many of these were eye catching, aesthetically pleasing and simply too busy — so busy that many times I was unable to determine what the company provided for goods and services. My goal was to bridge the gap between being ‘eye pleasing’ and informative on what services we provided — flashy, yet simple.”
Belisle says the new design helps Act Now Alarm appear more professional and “we look like a much larger company than we are.” The wrap also gave the technician department an instant morale boost, he adds.
2017 SAMMY Winners: Read up on the rest of this year’s SAMMY winners here.
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About the Author
Arlen Schweiger
Arlen Schweiger is editor-in-chief of SSI's sister publication, CE Pro. He was SSI's managing editor from August 2018 to June 2023.
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