Inside Track Issue 09 - April 2023

I’d like to introduce this month’s newsletter by relaying a quick account of how Mediafleet has diversified.

Hopefully, you will be familiar by now with the significant growth in the Mediafleet business over the last few years. In a market that seems to be constantly bombarded by global and domestic pressures forcing a significant decline in all vehicle registrations since 2017, Mediafleet has grown year on year. In fact, revenue growth for the period 2021/2022 was up by 18%.

One of the reasons for Mediafleet’s growth is because of sector diversification; HGV and trailer branding is becoming a major part of our business.

I would like to be able to tell you that our marketing team and I sat down and constructed a devilishly ingenious and cunning plan to target this sector and start winning business – but this is not the case. I don’t mind admitting that we just started seeing more and more enquiries from heavy duty players operating HGV and large trailers…another example of how ‘word of mouth’ is such a powerful marketing tool. At Mediafleet, we don’t have salespeople knocking on doors to win new business…we rely upon unsolicited inbound enquiries generated by someone seeing one of our news articles or industry blogs – or someone expounding our virtues!

From distribution companies to high street retailers, Mediafleet is now playing a major role in HGV and trailer branding. This is a major step forward for Mediafleet we are really excited we about it. Mediafleet is growing due to establishing a ‘good name’ in the LCV sector – we now want to repeat this in the HGV and trailer sector by delivering the same exacting standards. So now I will be asking marketing to make a point of spreading this news to expand our footprint. The retail sector with all its segments is a target for us and we welcome enquiries from big players. We have already established a good relationship with a very large and prestigious high street retail brand, and we want to use that as the foundation for further growth.

Mediafleet has been ‘gearing up’ for this type of contract for a long time. Our facilities, just outside Oxford, are sizeable and can accommodate over 300 vehicles at any one time. Our fitting bays can accommodate large articulated trailers and we have a logistics manager, Steven Hogg, with a Class 1 HGV licence, so the movement of trailers around the site using our tractor unit is no problem whatsoever.

Mediafleet does not regard itself as a print organisation in the print industry. The message we’ve been working hard to deliver to the UK’s large fleet operators is that Mediafleet is an integral part of the UK’s automotive supply chain. Vehicle branding is a vitally important in communicating a company’s brand and marketing message, but equally important is the way the livery provider integrates with the supply chain to deliver results in a seamless way. Mediafleet has taken this concept to the next level providing vehicle pick up, storage and delivery, fitting bays for any vehicle, qualified on site logistics manager to control the process, and IT systems and processes that align with that of those automotive companies involved in each project. Yes, we print and produce graphics that are second to none in the industry, but we are a dedicated supplier of automotive products and services to the UK automotive market…and that is worthy of note and a distinction we are proud of.

If you want to know more about how Mediafleet can help you meet your vehicle and trailer branding aspirations, then why not come and see us at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC. We are in Hall 5 on stand 5C45.

Barnaby Smith Managing Director

In this issue

Mediafleet rebrands over 3,000 in-fleeted operational vehicles for National Grid over four months

The acquisition of Western Power Distribution by National Grid in 2021 meant that a rebrand was necessary across all communications – including the vast, existing vehicle fleet.

Market Insight - Vehicle branding can be more than Business Card marketing

Rob Rudd looks at how neuroscience in vehicle graphics can help improve the effectiveness of your vehicle branding.

Mediafleet sees future in HGV market

During 2021, Mediafleet completed a strategic review of its business and decided it would target increased activity in the HGV fleet sector.

Process Planning and Scope of Service

We take a look behind the scenes at how the Mediafleet team adopts a consultative approach to all projects.

Everything you need to know about vehicle livery and sustainability

Barnaby Smith, Managing Director, lifts the lid on sustainability in the vehicle graphics industry.

Mediafleet rebrands over 3,000 in-fleeted operational vehicles for National Grid over four months

The acquisition of Western Power Distribution (WPD) by National Grid in 2021

#rebrand

Mediafleet already had an existing relationship with WPD, so when Christopher Mayell (Transport Manager) and Jane Nicholson (Fleet Technical Specialist), initiated discussions with Mediafleet concerning a fleet rebrand, the conversation was focused on delivering uniform branding across the entire fleet.

Barnaby Smith, Mediafleet Managing Director, said:

meant that a rebrand was necessary across all communications –including the vast, existing vehicle fleet.

“Chris and Jane explained that the new companywide branding needed to be delivered across the entire fleet, which meant not only branding all new vehicles with the new company image but also a total rebrand of over 3,000 vehicles already providing a vital role out in the field.”

#rebrand

In perfect harmony, the Mediafleet fitting team would be at the workshop locations to welcome the drivers and rebrand their vehicles according to the pre-agreed schedule. It was literally a ‘rebrand while you wait’ scenario.

The project was successfully completed in December 2022. Barnaby said, “Apart from a few pieces of equipment outstanding at the time, the project was completed according to the schedule and was a complete success. Definitely some sleepless nights but I have complete faith in the project team here at Mediafleet to deliver any project on time and in full. The National Grid team demonstrated utter professionalism at all times and managed the flow through of vehicles and drivers with what seemed like simplicity itself – which it certainly wasn’t.”

Christopher Mayell, Transport Manager, National Grid, said:

“This was a challenging programme and I’d like to thank everyone at Mediafleet for their hard work.”

Vehicle branding can Business Card marketing.

Rob Rudd looks at how neuroscience in vehicle graphics can help improve the effectiveness of your vehicle branding.

TRACK

be more than marketing.

Let’s be honest, in the B2B market, the vast majority of vehicle branding we see on the roads is nothing more than a business card on the side of a van or lorry. In the B2C market, vehicle graphics can be more interesting in an attempt to grab a consumer’s attention. But regardless of the media , what are all marketers trying to achieve with above the line type activity? The answer is to ‘generate more sales leads.’

The Science Neuromarketing.

A basic understanding of how our brain interprets advertising and branding will help improve your efficiency in generating more leads and this includes vehicle graphics.

Seduction is the way forward!

I was watching an episode of ‘Breaking Bad’ the other evening (I know I’m late with this…) and a character was asking the main character, who is a scientist, why the flavours of his clam chowder

reminded him of his childhood. Walter, the main character, explained the ‘hippocampus’ in the brain is sent information from food sensors and it’s the hippocampus that processes these signals in relation to memory and emotion… and that’s why certain tastes and smells remind us of things in the past. And that got me thinking about marketing and its emotional effect.

Science of Neuromarketing.

The first works because it is based on feeding the brain with enough information to make a conscious rational decision. These are called ‘Logical Persuasion’ adverts or LP ads. An example might be the Quooker

advert. This is the tap that does everything, and the advert accurately describes what the tap can do; chilled water, fizzy water, boiling water, anti-burn features, easy to install etc. Another might be a car advert

MARKET INSIGHT

where they talk about performance figures or outstanding features. These fact-based ads that are appealing to the conscious decision-making processes of the mind.

This sounds complicated but there are only two types of adverts you will ever see.

The second type of advert bypasses rational decision making pretty much altogether and appeals to the aspirational desires most of us have. These are called ‘Non-Rational Influence’ or ‘NI’ ads.

An example might be a beer advert where there is a close up of the beer glass with the condensation beading and running down the side of the glass. (I’m feeling thirsty just writing this!). Or maybe it’s

an advert for a car but this time we see the car being driven on a beautiful country road by an attractive woman or handsome chap. These adverts evoke an emotional response.

The answer is the NI advert*. It’s the perfume advert with the attractive woman in glamorous surroundings. That’s why these adverts work. It’s why fragrance companies spend a

fortune promoting a product which exists to make you smell nice, that you can’t actually smell via the TV. There is method in their madness!

What can we learn from this science as far vehicle branding is concerned?

My advice is simple…every time you consider a marketing promotion designed to enhance your brand and value proposition you should consider neuroscience!

When you consider that almost 50% of the human brain is designed to deal with visual processing it makes sense to make an effort with your customer facing initiatives. The more you task the brain with interesting visual stimuli, the more embroiled the person will become with your initiative. Repeated interesting messaging with a consistent brand image breeds familiarity which is why it’s so important for brands to have consistent, interesting brand messaging.

If we were to consider the B2B and the B2C markets individually, this would be a very long blog indeed, so to simplify, I am going to speak in broad terms. It’s easy enough to apply the rules to your own campaign.

Emotion Works!

Combining your marketing message with your brand, and emotion means that you are appealing to the subconscious mind of your customers…and that’s a good thing. If you want to make your customers feel good, then appeal to the typical images that cheer us up. Beer is good for me! But maybe a puppy golden retriever using your product will be good for most people. If you want to instil anger, then a sad image of someone or something NOT using your product maybe the route to take. Bear in mind the crisis and aid adverts on TV.

It’s time to think creatively. Work out how to appeal to customer preferences, emotions, and moods in your neuroscience marketing campaigns. Research your audience in detail and find out what’s appealing to them. The LCV’s you have are tremendous platforms to deliver these messages – they really are mobile billboards so treat them as such.

* Dr. Ian Cook, a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour at UCLA.

So, have a guess which type of advert is the most successful.

Why Does Emotion Work in marketing?

The answer is ‘Dopamine’. Familiar and consistent imagery stimulates Dopamine, and this makes us feel happy. That happiness then aligns with your brand and so through association, your brand becomes welcoming, memorable and comfortable.

Colour psychology

I’ve touched on this in an earlier article where colour plays an important part in delivering your marketing messages and the feel

Keep It Simple!

Vehicle marketing is different to other forms of OOH advertising. You must assume that your audience will not have much time to assimilate information…so keep it simple. Imagery is a great way to do this as are bullet points and simple colours fonts and limited text.

Be Different!

Churning out the same as everyone else is not going to make you stand out from the crowd, so be different. Once again imagery is a great way to utilise the space on your vehicles, and as we now know, the right type of imagery can be incredibly effective.

you want to portray. Colour can be a powerful tool in your branding decisions. Countless companies have used colour really effectively.

The Crown Paints vehicles are really striking and eye catching. Makes me want to decorate my house!

At Mediafleet, branding using consider the neuromarketing.

If your product appeal to the best option. But type marketing your hit rate. mechanism in Let me know Let’s call it ‘Neuromarketing’. You heard the term here first!

In Summary

Mediafleet, we have a dedicated resource for creating impactful vehicle using the tools I’ve described above. For your next campaign research and conclusions from scientific study regarding neuromarketing.

product and/or service has a technical bias then you may wish to the left-hand side of the brain. ‘Logical Persuasion’ may be the But if you can add to the campaign ‘Non-Rational Influence’ marketing using imagery, colours and fonts, then this may well improve But don’t take my word for it, why not use a different response in your marketing so you can track the effectiveness?

how you get on!

Mediafleet sees future in

During 2021, Mediafleet completed a strategic review of its busi would target increased activity in the HGV fleet sector.

INSIDE TRACK

HGV market

business and decided it

Following a number of successes with LCV contract and customers, it was our belief that the same focus on service and project management would be valued by those companies operating in this part of the market. Mediafleet started to engage with truck operators, and we quickly gathered momentum.

Fast forward to 2023 and this is now the fastest growing area for our business. We’ve secured supply deals with Boots, Arrow XL and Alliance Healthcare, amongst others, and we’re finding HGV customers very receptive to Mediafleet’s service oriented approach.

Barnaby Smith, Managing Director at Mediafleet, said:

“This has moved much faster than I expected, and its left have expanded into HGV activity sooner. However, that’s must do now is push on and deliver on these fantastic new team in gaining such a significant foothold in a relatively

left me wondering whether we should that’s all very well with hindsight, what we new orders and I’m really proud of our relatively short space of time.”

Process Planning and Scope of Service.

In this article we take a look behind the scenes at how the Mediafleet team adopts a consultative approach to all projects – especially those where supply chain integration is required.

Mediafleet’s End to End Solution

CONSULTATION 1.

CONSULTATION

Understanding customer needs, aspirations and strategy:

• Objectives

• Execution Strategy

• Technical/Project Approach

• Project Deliverables

• Time and Resources

• Associated Costs

Great process planning and design is about improvement in your part of the supply chain

2. CREATIVE DESIGN

Designing

Creative design includes striking colours, logos, and typography that attract potential customers on the road.

visually appealing graphics that effectively convey a brand’s message plays a crucial role.

3. OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

• Dedicated Account services Manager assigned to each account

• Scheduling the production, application and delivery of your graphics

• Manufacturing and packaging of the graphics in line with your time frames

• Delivery of your graphics kits to a global destination of your choice

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Carole Avenell, Head of Project Delivery

4.

IN-HOUSE INSTALLATION

Edgaras, Chloe and Josie, experienced members of our fitting team

INSTALLATION TEAM

• Fully trained, Mediafleet employed technicians will apply your graphics to your vehicles to a standard recognised by the leading vinyl manufacturers as exemplary

• Mediafleet have little reliance upon the UK’s sub-contractor network

• All application events are managed by on site Mediafleet technicians and employees

5.

AFTER SALES

Holly Smith, part of our after sales team

SALES CARE

• Dedicated ‘After Sales Manager’ who will look after your vehicles whilst in-fleet

• After Sales Manager will arrange production, shipping and application of the graphics – all within 72 hours of order

Mediafleet’s End to End Solution

Everything You Need to Know About Vehicle Livery and Sustainability

Smith, Mediafleet managing director ‘lifts the lid’ on sustainability in the vehicle graphics industry.

‘Sustainability’ is certainly a hot topic at the moment with many organisations, large and small, working hard to develop tangible sustainability strategies to try and help the planet and society. Plus, there is also no doubt that a sustainability policy is a differentiator leading to potentially more business won. So, in some cases, is sustainability being regarded as just a new selling tool? Are organisations actually operating a truly sustainable policy, or for some, is it a thin veneer to try and win more business and steal the march on competitors?

Barnaby

JOHN LOCKWOOD

To answer these questions, we need to understand what we mean by ‘corporate sustainability’. The Oxford English Dictionary states it is “The property of being environmentally sustainable; the degree to which a process or enterprise is able to be maintained or continued while avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources “. So, by definition, a sustainable company is one that has zero negative impact on the environment or society. This is difficult to achieve from day one, so businesses need to be careful about misrepresentation and focus more on the step process that is a sustainability strategy.

And so, the term sustainability becomes a ‘catch all’ for any initiative that lessens the environmental impact or helps with social causes.

This has led to organisations issuing sustainability strategies, incentives and policies which, under closer inspection, are not focused on the original objective of sustainability but are constructed to react to external pressure from their customers, potential customers, supply chain and the media.

In my opinion, in a lot of cases, it’s not so much sustainable practices, just less bad practices.

Everything You Need to Know About Vehicle Livery and Sustainability

1. A competent team to manage the process.

2. A method of measuring the outcome.

The Mediafleet sustainability strategy includes the following initiatives:

» Reducing

• Waste

• Water Consumption

• Energy Consumption

» Sourcing renewable energy to power facilities

» Wherever possible, using sustainable materials in the manufacturing process

» Wherever possible, recycling waste materials generated on and off site

» Utilising supply chains with sustainability strategies

» Helping society through the support of ‘not for profit’ organisations such as charities and CIC’s.

I believe that any initiative that reduces the degradation of the planet is a valuable step in becoming sustainable. But how effective the initiative actually is requires measurement. That is why at Mediafleet we measure our performance in reducing waste, water and energy consumption, internally and externally. We also measure the hours donated in helping Britain’s charities and good causes.

We will be producing a yearly report as to the effectiveness of our sustainability strategy for all to see.

To manage a business successfully, the process that makes up a successful business strategy needs two things:

And the same is true for a sustainability strategy.

Mediafleet designs, manufactures and applies vehicle graphics. We have supply chain partners that help us achieve our goals and we are very proud of the long-standing relationships we have nurtured since our inception in 2002. Unlike other competitor livery providers, we have always positioned ourselves as an integral and important part of the automotive supply chain. Other livery providers regarded themselves as a livery production house leaving the fulfilment task to 3rd parties - and some still do!

There are constraints on the Mediafleet business when it comes to sustainability. For Mediafleet to produce vinyl graphics we need to buy in the raw material – the vinyl. This part of our process we cannot control, and we rely on the vinyl manufacturers to develop products that are fit for purpose and, in the case of sustainability, manufactured in manner that will not harm the planet, and is therefore sustainable. Plus, at the end of the vehicle life, in the ideal world, the vinyl should be collected and sent for green disposal or recycling.

» NON–PVC vinyl that is NOT recyclable

» PVC based vinyl that IS recyclable

At the time of writing, there are two types of ‘green’ vinyl available:

Mediafleet has been using Metamark products for over 20 years. Mediafleet has now teamed up with Metamark to utilise the vinyl recycling process that is MetaStream.

Programme is a service where the waste ‘release liner’, generated during the vinyl application, can be collected by the fitter for recycling. At the ‘vehicle end of life’, the stripped vinyl can be collected for recycling as well. The recycled material is then used for the production of traffic cones and

Mediafleet is particularly well placed to deliver this service for its customers. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, any sustainability initiative needs to be fulfilled and measured by the organisation. Waste capture during print manufacturing should not be a problem for any organisation as the in-house production team can easily collect the waste and place it in the MetaStream cages. But, in most cases, vehicle livery is applied at 3rd party sites such as dealers and converters all over the country. As Mediafleet directly employs its own fitting team with very little use of the UK’s subcontractor network, Mediafleet can guarantee that the waste release liner will be collected and brought back to Mediafleet’s head office and placed in the MetaStream recycling cages ready for collection and recycling.

Businesses that have signed up to the MetaStream process (or any other recycling initiative) should actively check that the process is being operated correctly by the nominated livery company, especially if the vehicles are at a dealership or

Currently, at the vehicles end of life, the livery is removed in most cases by the nationwide network of auction houses. At this point, control of the destination of the vinyl is lost with vinyl going straight to landfill. Mediafleet is now offering its Mediafleet MetaStream customers the

opportunity for the recyclable spent vinyl to be removed by Mediafleet vinyl applicators so that it can be collected and sent for recycling. This process ‘closes the loop’ on the vinyl life cycle and creates a managed and measurable process.

Unless an organisation has direct control over this collection process, there is no guarantee that the waste release liner will not end up with all the other rubbish – destined for landfill.

As time moves on, I am confident that more vinyl products will become available that are Non-PVC and recyclable creating a much more sustainable proposition.

Sustainability or ESG?

I mentioned at the start that personally I feel the word sustainability has lost its meaning to a large extent with some companies using it as a selling tool rather than a planet and society helping initiative. It seems the boundaries of what constitutes business sustainability are blurred, making it difficult to understand whether an organisation’s work should be promoted as sustainable or downgraded to merely greenwash. That is, the company uses exaggerated claims to position itself as sustainable. According to a survey by Advanced 2021/22 Trends Report, questioning 1,078 employees, 43% thought their company was guilty of greenwash. The Green Business Bureau stated:

The absence of clear-set criteria has meant sustainability, as a term, has been hijacked, diluted, and misunderstood. The continual re-definition of sustainability has created an environment where people are unsure about its meaning and what aspects to focus on. For instance, suddenly sustainability is about climate change, ending poverty, and achieving gender equality. This definitional dilution has meant organizations issue sustainability strategies, incentives, and policies that may not be focused on the original object of sustainability. And the rules are simple: Sustainability means taking only what you need and leaving systems capable of continued existence.

Mediafleet falls into this trap as well as we have introduced a ‘volunteering scheme’ to help society through supporting charities etc. Is this sustainability or CSR?

My preferred option is to be measured by the metrics of ESG (Environment, Social & Governance). As the Green Business Bureau describes,

ESG points to a specific set of criteria that remove the ambiguity surrounding the term sustainability. Larger discussions in business began with sustainability but have since evolved to include ESG performance and accountability. ESG data helps identify risk-adjusted returns and highlights relevance to capital opportunities. ESG topics are interlinked and draw attention to the multifaceted risks of social, technological, political, environmental, and economic business aspects.

In business you have to be realistic and totally transparent. Mediafleet will move to ESG at some point but in the meantime, we will continue to develop our sustainability initiatives. We recognise that businesses have a growing need to engage with organisations that respect sustainability and is absolutely transparent about the effectiveness. That is what I have tried to do here so our customers and potential customers understand what we are doing regarding sustainability and how well we are doing it. We are not where we want to be just yet, but you can be assured that we will keep on refining our ‘green’ strategy.

Branding Britain’s Fleets

Our passion at Mediafleet is what drives us to create industry leading graphics, and we are proud of our position in the UK’s commercial fleet supply chain.

If you are looking to enhance your fleet branding please get in touch.