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(December 2009) posted on Mon Nov 23, 2009

Some background about the competition and the judges' bios

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By Steve Aust

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In a recent issue, ST columnist M. Nisa Khan recounted the condensed version of billionaire media mogul Ted Turner’s formula for success: “Early to bed, early to rise, work damn hard and advertise!” This maxim especially resonates today. A bad media buy, which can cripple a company during the best of times, becomes an especially perilous misstep during a recession.

ST has extolled repeatedly the cost-effective, powerful advertising messages vehicle graphics, especially vehicle wraps, deliver. Whereas a radio spot or newspaper ad offers a commercial for a limited duration with inconsistent message retention, vehicle wraps can deliver returns for several years at a relatively low cost.

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The vehicle-wrap market presumably endured a tough year, reflective of the economy. Several past participants told me their work had decreased, and they declined to enter the field. Consequently, the number of participating signshops declined from 63 to 50. However, those who tossed their hat in the ring more than compensated – entries rose from 357 to 388 versus last year, an approximately 9% increase.

Par for the course, the Service and Promotional Vehicle categories together encompassed roughly half the field (“service” connotes a vehicle used primarily as a function of the customer’s business; befitting the name, “promotional” means it serves primarily, if not solely, to build the client’s brand). We eliminated the Fleet Graphics category – other than graphics being fabricated for multiple vehicles, we deemed it repetitive to Service or Promotional Vehicles – and most of the gain was absorbed into the Signshop and Unique Vehicle categories. Rounding out the field, Transit Graphics entries embodied the diversity of mass-transportation; Marine Vehicles exude a certain swagger of machismo, and Handcrafted Graphics transmuted into one artist’s exhibition.

The competition field included many worthy contenders, and determining a winner proved challenging in most cases. The judges’ cross-section of expertise – the cofounder of a company that fabricates large-vehicle graphics; a service provider who decorates an eclectic mix of digitally printed and handpainted vehicle graphics; a franchise-signshop owner; and, an environmental-graphics designer – offered unique, complementary insights.