EDITOR'S CHOICE Color Your World

Fleets are increasingly turning to vehicle graphics to carry their ad messages along with their cargo. With today's more vibrant images, it's hard to miss these colorful moving billboards. On the following pages we present the winners of our annual fleet graphics competition.

This isn't any ordinary head of lettuce but a premium brand that's being delivered live with the roots still attached to guarantee consumers the freshest product available. The graphics on Live Gourmet trucks aren't ordinary either. Unique to the design is that no adhesive material was used in the application. Rather, the vinyl was printed and stretched over a special aluminum frame that's mounted to the truck, giving it a smooth, clean appearance.

Working closely with Pete Overgaag, vice president of Hollandia Flowers - growers of the Live Gourmet brand of vegetables - Greg Novak, a designer at Partners Imaging Services, says it took his company 41/2 months to come up with exactly the right images Hollandia wanted to portray on its trucks.

According to Overgaag, Hollandia adopted the graphics last year to promote its new lettuce product. "My theory is that since we already own the trucks, this is a very effective way for us to advertise," he says. "It's basically a one-time cost. A side benefit is that our fleet is now beautiful, stylish, and eye-catching. It stands out on the road and we get tons of compliments."

Part of what gives the graphics their sleek appearance is the process used by Metromedia Technologies (MMT) to print the vinyl material. David Schaub, account director, describes it as a flexible face vinyl that's designed to be changeable/ reusable.

"We use digital imaging technology to produce the graphics," he notes, "which gives them a clean, crisp appearance. We also use automotive grade acrylic-based paint for the longest possible durability. The MMT process produces full four-color process graphics that are consistent in quality, with no color shifts from truck to truck."

The flexible vinyl is designed specifically for use with a frame system. For Live Gourmet, the Kwik Zip system from Epic Media Group was employed. The biggest advantage of the system, according to Marvin Smith, CEO, is its quick, easy installation, which allows fleets to switch the graphics on their trucks over and over again. Initial installation of the frame and graphics, he says, can be completed in under an hour. Once the frame has been installed, graphics can be changed out in about 15 minutes per trailer side.

"The reason the frame is so fast to use," Smith explains, "is that the installation, tensioning, and adjustment for vinyl sizing all occurs in one step. When we zip an image into the frame, it's tensioned at about 30 pounds per inch, so it's as tight as a drum."

Live Gourmet is using the flexible vinyl graphics and frame system on all six of its straight trucks as well as its 48-ft reefer trailer.

GROCERYWORKS.COM, Carrollton, Tex. DESIGNER: Launch Partnership, Irving, Tex. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Ariston, Addison, Tex. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M 8620 and 8910, 3M ScotchPrint

The graphics on this company's trucks are literally the "talk of the town." According to Dan Denton, director of operations, GroceryWorks.com has grown so rapidly since launching its Internet-based grocery home delivery company last Thanksgiving that you can hardly go anywhere in Carrollton, Tex., without spotting one of its trucks on the road. In fact, the company has grown so fast that in May it opened two new distribution centers - one in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and another in Houston.

There are 12 different truck graphics designs, which originated from a children's book titled "Play With Your Food." Featured as part of the company's marketing campaign on billboards all over town as well as on its vehicles, Denton notes, the colorful, lively fruits and vegetables are bringing smiles to the faces of "children" of all ages. The company's fleet currently includes 150 trucks, each featuring one of the 12 designs.

The trucks are cooled by a Carrier refrigeration system. In addition, the company has developed a dry ice module that's built into the tops of the individual totes used to carry customers' groceries, making each tote a self-contained unit. At each distribution center, there are also six Ford Windstar vans used for emergency deliveries and PR functions. GroceryWorks.com employs approximately 90 full- and part-time drivers. The trucks are equipped with GPS units for vehicle tracking and two-way communications with drivers.

GroceryWorks.com expects to expand its operations even more rapidly now that it has signed a strategic partnership with Safeway of California. There are currently 350 new trucks on order.

TRUE VALUE HARDWARE, Chicago, Ill. DESIGNER: TMG (TransMedia Group) and Golin Harris, Chicago, Ill. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Signature Graphics, Porter, Ind. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M Reflective

This truck is "hot, hot, hot." Covered almost completely with reflective graphics, it looks like a ball of fire going down the highway at night. John Schmidtke, national advertising manager for True Value Hardware, says the company is trying to break away from its conservative image, and the transporter vehicle - named The True Value Motorsports Experience - is an ideal medium for spreading the word that the company is very "hot."

The truck showcases the best qualities of the True Value brand, including the company's motorsports sponsorship, products, and logo. True Value, Schmidtke explains, has been involved in motorsports for over 20 years. Currently, it's the official NASCAR hardware store and the title sponsor of the True Value IROC series.

The transporter, a Freightliner model year 2000 Classic XL pulling a completely customized 53-ft. Featherlite trailer, is a promotional marketing vehicle that will be making 125 tour stops this year at various NASCAR and IROC events, as well as True Value retail locations in 35 states.

Both the tractor and trailer have been wrapped with the 3M reflective graphics material for 80% coverage. The trailer holds an IROC Pontiac Camaro and a mobile display set featuring True Value products, along with POS motorsports apparel and souvenirs. The tractor-trailer made its debut February 18 in Daytona Beach for one of the True Value IROC races this year.

Accompanying the tractor-trailer on its road show is a chase vehicle - a Chevy Astro Van - which features similar graphics.

MISSISSIPPI BOTTLED WATER, Jackson, Miss. DESIGNER: Danny Walker Agency & Signature Graphics, Porter, Ind. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Signature Graphics, Porter, Ind. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M 8620

Last year, the figures featured on Mississippi Bottled Water's beverage trucks were brought to life, using local residents as real-live models. The idea was to update the graphics while still retaining the company's "home town" image. Cris Dockery, vice president, says that when the company initially designed its images its objective was to be able to make them "come alive" someday. What better time to do this than at the start of a new millennium. The graphics appear on four of the company's six trucks. The goal is to eventually have the fleet completely covered, including four new trucks currently on order.

Dockery belongs to the fourth generation of family members to work for the company. His great-grandfather started the business in 1937 with a deep well in his backyard and just one driver. Today, the company is the state's leading bottled water supplier. Personal service is its tradition, an image that is reflected in the graphics. Signature Graphics used electronic imaging to manufacture the new graphics, which look so realistic, Dockery notes, that one woman actually walked up to a driver and asked if she could get a glass of water from his cooler, not realizing it was a picture.

GENERAL PRODUCE CO., Sacramento, Calif. DESIGNER: Ferrari Color, Sacramento, Calif. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Ferrari Color, Sacramento, Calif. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M ScotchPrint

There's no question about what this company does. The new graphics on the delivery fleet tell the entire story. Starting out at night (notice the moon is still in the skies), General Produce makes its rounds early in the morning (a rooster heralds in the new day) delivering fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm. Deliveries are to a variety of retail outlets and other wholesalers, including supermarkets, hospitals, schools, and restaurants in northern California, southern Oregon, and western Nevada.The busine ss has remained in the family since 1933. Today, cousins Tom Chan, CEO, and Dan Chan, president, carry on the tradition of their ancestors. Their company's motto -"Fresh. Fast. Our Tradition Since 1933." - also appears on the vehicles.

The goal of the graphics was to increase General Produce's presence in the market. The graphics cover 20 of the company's fleet of 70 refrigerated straight trucks. According to Dan Chan, the first phase of the application was done last summer, with more targeted for this year. The fleet also includes 10 tractor-trailers, but the company hasn't decided whether or not the graphics program will extend to these vehicles as well.

Dan Chan says the message they're trying to portray is that General Produce is a well-established company with a sense of history and tradition, yet at the same time is progressive and has a passion for innovative solutions. Before the graphics were applied, only the company's logo appeared on the trucks. While the logo was effective in identifying the company's vehicles, Chan notes, it didn't make a huge impression. That's certainly not the case now.

UNION BEVERAGE CO., Chicago, Ill. DESIGNER: Greater Brands of Europe, Chicago, Ill. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Lowen Color Graphics, Hutchinson, Kan. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M 8640 ScotchPrint; 3M ScotchLite 690-10 reflective

Covered entirely with reflective graphics, these highly visible trucks not only promote brand awareness for Evian bottled water but also are important to Union Beverage Co. for the safety factor involved. Mitch Stoltz, president of the beverage distribution company, says the trucks usually travel early in the morning and after dark. At its Chicago location, Union Beverage has 110 trucks and 10 van trailers, which deliver alcohol and non-alcohol products, including bottled water, fruit juices, and mixers, throughout southern Illinois. Customers include everyone from 7-11 convenience stores to restaurants and huge chains.

According to Stoltz, getting vendors and manufacturers to advertise on the sides of its trucks is a fairly new practice for Union Beverage, but he hopes to extend the program in the future. Customers can basically hand-pick the neighborhoods they want to target. For example, Evian chose downtown Chicago, where a large number of hotel/restaurant businesses are located.

Currently, Union Beverage Co. is using three designs of the reflective graphics. Two of the designs promote Evian products. The third comes from McCormick Distilling, which is advertising its Tequila Rose product.

DHL WORLDWIDE EXPRESS, Redwood City, Calif. DESIGNER: Thompson Design, San Francisco, Calif. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Lowen Color Graphics, Hutchinson, Kan. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M Scotchal

DHL is effectively using its U.S. truck fleet to deliver its advertising message. Highlighting DHL's international express package delivery capabilities, the company's vans look like passport books stamped with the names of countries to which it delivers. Each truck carries three destination names in different colored decals, one on each side of the van and one across the rear doors. In addition, there are drawings associated with each locale - such as pyramids for Cairo. The DHL logo still appears on the vans but is now slightly less prominent.

Last year, says Jim Morrison, fleet technical manager, 1,200 Ford Econoline vans were retrofitted with the new graphics. Another 1,200 are being done this year, and by the end of 2001 the entire 3,000-vehicle fleet will carry the design. The new graphics, which are expected to cost less than $1 million, he reports, are a cost-effective way to advertise for DHL.

THE PARKING SPOT, Chicago, Ill. DESIGNER: Square One, Dallas, Tex. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Lowen Color Graphics, Hutchinson, Kan. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M 180-10

It's easy to spot these off-site airport parking shuttle buses with their bold yellow paint and black spots. The introduction of the new design, which was just rolled out June 1, coincides with the recent openings of new Parking Spot parking concessions in Dallas's DWF North, DWF South, and Lovefield airports. Mark Wildman, vp-marketing and sales, says the graphics serve a dual purpose in generating awareness of The Parking Spot among potential new customers, and helping current customers easily spot the shuttles in busy airports where other ground transportation vehicles basically all look alike.

Integrating the design with the brand name, the graphics are intended to be an icon that people will remember and associate with the company. Window graphics that provide one-way vision are also used for extra vehicle coverage, and removable vinyl overlays applied to the sides of the buses let the company easily change its tag lines when it desires. These "tongue-and-check" quips, Wildman points out, are important aspects of the design, delivering the company's message in a catchy way.

The mini-buses are Metrotrans shuttles on Ford chassis that The Parking Spot leases for three years. The first phase of the graphics application program in Dallas covers 26 vehicles. Other vehicles will be added in the future, Wildman reports, as either vehicle leases come due or the company acquires new locations. Owned by PRG Parking Management, The Parking Spot has a total of 120 shuttle buses serving 12 parking concessions at nine airports in seven cities across the U.S.

PRICE CHOPPER, Schenectady, N.Y. DESIGNER: In-House GRAPHICS SUPPIER: Modagrafics, Rolling Meadows, Ill. MARKING MATERIALS: Avery XL; Avery R100 Series

Great food. Great prices. That's the word Price Chopper is spreading with its brand new graphics, which made their debut this past March. Replacing the old blue gradient bars are two new designs, one for each side of the company's trailers. The first design - a colorful montage of fruits and vegetables - portrays freshness and quality, while the second design, which depicts four people obviously enjoying the food they're eating, is a visual representation of the company's "For People Who Love Food" slogan. The decals have a retroreflective coating, making them visible at night.

Doug Deluke, of the purchasing department, says that in developing the new graphics his company wanted to create a visually appealing look that would at the same time effectively communicate Price Chopper's advertising message.

Application of the decals takes place in the company's Vehicle Maintenance department, which is overseen by Larry Mousseau, fleet maintenance supervisor. Mousseau says the company recently purchased 56 new trailers on which the graphics will appear. The decals are applied in 8-ft. increments and one trailer takes almost two days to complete. Once the new trailers are completed, the decals on older trailers will be replaced with the new images as well.

The company's fleet includes 57 tractors, 250 van trailers, and 57 reefer units. The new graphics are expected to last between five and seven years.

VELVET ICE CREAM, Utica, Ohio DESIGNER: In-house GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Signature Graphics, Porter, Ind. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M E-stat

Velvet Ice Cream is serving up a new image for itself. According to Tom Wolford, distribution manager, the family-owned and -operated company decided last year that increased public awareness of its name and products would assist them in becoming a leader in the ice cream business. While making plans to update its fleet, the company also researched what was available in new vehicle graphic design. Its graphics were 10 to 12 years old, so it was time for an update. After looking at what other companies had done for their trucks, Wolford explains, the company purchased its first new tractor-trailer in 85 years and created a moving billboard that would draw attention to its products as well as its brand name.

The strategy is working. Drivers for Velvet Ice Cream are very proud of the new trucks, and feedback from customers and people driving by the vehicles has been great. Mike Dager, vice president at Velvet Ice Cream, says the vehicle graphics are an extension of the company's product packaging design. Two 44-ft. trailers now carry the new images. The program is being expan ded to the company's conventional delivery fleet as well, where the graphics will soon appear on six new straight trucks.

HONORABLE MENTION Marine Max, Sacramento, Calif. DESIGNER: Marine Max and Ferrari Color, Sacramento, Calif. GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Ferrari Color, Sacramento, Calif. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M ScotchPrint

The Evans Company, Moonachie, N.J. DESIGNER: Signature Graphics, Porter, Ind. GRAPHICS SUPPIER: Signature Graphics, Porter, Ind. MARKING MATERIALS: 3M nonreflective

City Furniture, Sunrise, Fla. DESIGNER: In-house GRAPHICS SUPPLIER: Nite Brite Signs, Ft. Myers, Fla. MARKING MATERIALS: Avery MPI 1003 vinyl, Idanit