As a professional working in the automotive space you are fully aware that dealerships can use banners for all types of reasons such as promotions, wayfinding, design and general information. The goal for each banner can be different but the way it happens is the same. The banner must stand out in a way that allows it to achieve it’s individual goal. Who knew banners could be such an intellectual topic?!
The fact is that every dealership needs banners and needs to use them.
In this article we will overview everything you need to know about automotive banners or dealership banners (whichever way you choose to call them).
Dealership Banners 101
Again you may already know these things, but we still wanted to cover some of the basics.
What is a dealership banner or automotive banner?
Essentially a banner for dealerships is a type of printed sign that is used to share a message, move a customer to action or evoke a feeling. Pretty simple!
What are the ways that automotive dealerships use banners?
Banners are used inside and outside of the dealership, they are used to promote deals, new vehicles, special financing, show people where to go and identify areas of interest such as a customer lounge, coffee bar or where the bathrooms are. They are also used as a part of the decor in some cases. Think about colorful banners that block ugly areas of a dealership or are accents used around the auto center to create a specific feeling such as vibrant abstract designs, checkered patterns to get people thinking about “fast” cars or banners with pictures of families to evoke maternal and paternal emotion.
What type of materials are used in these auto banners?
Since we are focusing on dealership banners specifically and not the hard signage used to promote the brand or vehicle manufacturer logos you’ll find that most auto banners are made of vinyl, mesh, stretch fabric or some other type of synthetic material that is pliable.
They are important depending on the banner use case.
How can I purchase banners for my dealership or auto group?
This is kind of a no-brainer answer… “From anywhere that sells them.” right?
Yes, but there are three primary ways you can buy banners. Customized as a project with a print company like us, online with a design that can be applied during the purchase process or bought as a pre-designed banner with no customization (which we talk about more later in the article).
The truth is though that banner quality will differ across these options and that could be very important depending on your use case. Under most scenarios you’ll find that working with a print company on banners as a project will result in a higher quality banner. Many of the banners you can buy online are very cheaply made and won’t deliver the type of impact you are looking for at your dealership.
Indoor Dealership Banners
When we talk about automotive banners that get used inside the dealership we focus on banner types such as roll-up or pull-up banners, large decorative banners that drive emotion and banners that share promotions or deals. The thing about indoor banners is that they can be made using a lower quality material for the most part because they aren’t having to contend with weather. You still want a high quality print that is vibrant and error free but the material used can be thinner in most cases which will drive down the price.
You’ll also find that there are more options for banner styles and while we aren’t talking about signs here, there are some cool things you can do inside such as backlit banners and signs.
Indoor banners will also include marking the restroom, lounge, snacks, finance area, main reception, temporary walls for meeting areas, and more.
Outdoor Dealership Banners
Dealership banners used outdoors are different in that they must use a high quality material to ensure they can withstand the weather conditions over time. It all depends on the use case for your banner but if you are looking to have a banner done that needs to last for years then a high quality and heavy banner material with a solid finish will need to be used, but a banner that will have a shorter need doesn’t need to be as rugged and will just require what it takes to last as long as you need it and not crack, tear or fade.
Typically you’ll find that most outdoor banners at dealerships are made of a heavy vinyl or a synthetic mesh material. Solid banners are good when line of sight isn’t obstructed and mesh banners are good for areas where getting light through or being able to see what’s on the other side is necessary.
Another banner type you see often outside of dealerships near the road are pre-designed banners and many times flags that are meant solely to grab attention. These are highly recommended.
Pre-Designed vs Custom Automotive Banners
Earlier in the article we brought this up but you often come across the options of either having a custom banner created or using one that is pre-designed. Most of the pre-designed banners for dealerships are either very abstract such as colors, tie-dye, checkered or have simple messages such as SALE, OPEN, LOOK. Which is fine but that may not be what you are looking for and in most cases they are not high quality.
Custom dealership banners on the other hand are designed with intention and are meant to speak your language and get customers to feel a certain way so you can command the right kind of attention from the right people.
We go into detail on designing dealership banners here.
You could actually go into a number of different topics even more deeply as it relates to banners for dealerships and automotive groups, but this for the most part covers it. We love working with multi-location dealers or large autocenters to help them with their banner needs. So please reach out if you have questions.
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