With mobile marketing, businesses can now stay in step with their customers in an ever moving and increasingly fast-paced world.
But what if you could go a step further and drive your brand messaging straight to your potential customers, in real time and in the physical locations they visit or pass by throughout their day?
This is what sparked the idea of taking mobile marketing to the next level for a local advertising business. Started in 2002, Spark Mobile Video designed and built a truck that was equipped with digital signage to promote its own brand while traveling along the Alabama Gulf Coast. “That first truck caught a lot of attention on the road,” said Robert Tarabella, founder and Managing Partner. “We soon started getting a lot of calls from people asking if they could buy their own advertising trucks, so we quickly geared up to manufacture the trucks for other business owners.”
The business soon grew and evolved alongside the need in the marketplace for creative, eye-catching promotional strategies. Spark Mobile Video now offers several different models of mobile digital signage and mobile video billboard trucks in markets worldwide.
The Mobile Digital Marketing Advantage
As commercial trucks, Spark’s promotional vehicles can be used for various practical purposes, but their key advantage lies in the power of digital technology. “With digital signage, people can’t help but notice the bright LED video screens as our trucks drive down the street,” said Tarabella. Spark’s mobile digital signage helps various forms of business – from retail brands and restaurants to law or chiropractic practices – deliver distinctive digital marketing campaigns in real time and across locations.
Billboard advertisements that used to change every few weeks or months can now be changed every few minutes with digital signage, giving businesses greater flexibility and control over messaging than with traditional forms of advertising. Once all graphics or videos are uploaded onto the system, the messaging on screen can easily be changed.
This ability to control how often and how long particular messages appear on screen is particularly effective for businesses that change product offerings throughout the day. “If you have a food business, you can have the display on breakfast foods in the morning, and then change it to your lunch specials in the afternoon,” explained Tarabella. “It allows you to easily change your advertising to match the changing needs of your customers.”
With a Spark truck, the added ability to literally “drive” your message to consumers makes it easier to target areas where your customer base is most dense. This provides a cost effective, strategic way to build your brand across the marketplace. “It’s a mobile society”, said Tarabella. “Everybody is in their cars or on the move, and we can bring a brand’s message directly to where their customers are likely to be.”
The Spark Effect
Spark has found their method of mobile advertising to be highly effective for its customers, even in the most challenging times. Tarabella recalled how a jewelry store owner purchased one of the trucks right in the midst of the economic recession in 2009. “The owner came back to let us know they had their best sales ever, right in the worst time of the recession. They had been in business for over 20 years, and the only change they made that year was to purchase one of our trucks and leave it parked outside the store and drive it around town a bit.”
The Franchisee Financial Advantage
With affordable monthly payments that average $2,000 per month, or a turn-key price that ranges from $75,000 – $125,000, the return on investment often exceeds the initial purchasing cost through the added brand visibility that comes with operating a Spark Mobile Video truck. For franchisees, the cost of investment can also be shared through a cooperative marketing fund, whereby franchisees collectively share both the cost and increased market visibility for the brand. “We offer financing for any business owner, but franchisees often make use of a cooperative marketing fund to invest in one of our trucks,” said Tarabella. “Theycan split the cost of the investment, which qualifies as a legitimate reimbursable expense for most franchisee marketing funds.”
The future of mobile digital advertising is bright
Mobile digital marketing is here to stay and continues to evolve, and Spark is motivated to stay on the creative digitaledge by keeping up with technology trends and consumer needs. Earlier this year, Spark rolled out its
remote operating feature, which allows customers to make changes to the content on the screen remotely. “Now our customers don’t even need to be in the truck to change their advertising messaging,” explained Tarabella. “It’s great fun to be involved in this business because we continuously make changes and we’re excited to offer new options each year.”
For more information on Spark Mobile Video, contact info@sparkmobilevideo.com or call 251-279-0007 (Toll free 844-SPARK-44)
Article written by: Diana Cikes, Franchising USA