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Car Toppers!!! Facing front and back, or left to right!

T

tommieknowspizza

New member
I have heard different arguements on this. Wondered what everyone on here thinks.

I have heard that the average cartopper is viewed by over 185,000 people a month, and that 35% of the people who see a cartopper, act on it. They may not, buy my pizza, but seeing a pizza cartopper motivates them to buy pizza.

My question is? I use a Quad Car Topper. What is the best way to place it on top of my car for the best results.

#1 across the top of the car left to right with the wide faces, facing forward, and backwards.

#2 across the top of the car front to back with the wide faces, facing left to right.
 
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I personally hate car toppers. I would never use one myself and that’s the reason I don’t use them at my shop. The companies around here that use car toppers are the ones that have an inferior product. I understand the advertising aspect of the car topper but I choose to go with other methods to dominate my market. Also, the pool of great drivers is drastically reduced if they have to use a billboard on their vehicle. Did I say I hate car toppers?
 
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I don’t use car toppers because in the city I am in it is an invitation for a hold up. However for my company PT Cruisers I have reflective lettering so the name can be seen from all sides day or night. I have had customers tell me they can see me from 4 blocks away. There have been customers that come in and say we saw your car today and decided it was pizza night.

The cars are so noticable that the fire trucks wave as they go by me with lights and sirens.
 
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Option #3: I bought the triangular ones, so you can see it from any angle!
 
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I alternate front-back, left-right. And people do notice it and comment.
 
Car signs should not be place front to back as they will not be seen by anywhere close to the number of people as they would if placed left to right just above the windshield. KEEP them lit at night as well!!!
 
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Drivers seem to like to put their car toppers from front to back. BUT … the best way indeed is left to right across the windshield.

We explain that part of the 80 cents we give them is for having the sign on their car as advertising.
 
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we do it left to right also…everybody else does it the other way, but I think our way os more visible
 
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tommieknowspizza:
Pizzatime, I suppose boxtopping, and doorhanging, and bannerwaving, are out of the question too.
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No, I just don’t like signs on cars. Every pizza shop around here that uses the triangles on top of their vehicles are not high quality pizza establishments- that’s a fact.
 
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To each his own. If you don’t like signs on cars. It’s your place, you’re the boss.

BUT, as far as ‘fact’ goes. It may be coincidental in your particular area, that car signs are associated with bad product. But this is not a universal rule. There is certainly no cause and effect. And it’s not an association that a reasonable and prudent person would make.

As expensive as advertising is, there are worse things than being your own rolling billboard. People are constantly saying, “Hey I saw you in the neighborhood the other night”.

I carry a box of menus with me. Several times per week, people will approach me when I’m out delivering and ask for a menu.
 
I have a friend that has a chinese delivery service in a town nearby. His only form of advertising outside of his sign, and word of mouth, is his cartoppers. He has three delivery cars, and he has three fulltime drivers who are constantly delivering his product. His average ticket is $70.00. So I know the car topper works for every price range, and every product style. My average delivery ticket is about $35.00. I love it when a delivery goes to neighborhood, and just as the driver comes back there is two more deliveries to the same neighborhood, cause the sign sparked my customers impulsive desire to be eat my product. I consider Car Toppers one of the essential ingredients to a strong marketing campaign. Signage on cars is nothing new. Look at UPS, or FED EX, Airborne, US Postal Service, they all make deliveries to the same neighborhoods we do everyday. I doubt if anyone looks down upon them as second rate because they drive around in a marked car.

I’ll never buy the argument that a sign makes you a “Target”. Lazy Ownership makes your drivers a target. If Drivers make their drops, and never carry more than $20. on them then they won’t be a target. If They Lock there doors, and carry a cell phone, and don’t deliver to unlit houses, and they use some street smarts they wont be targets.

I have had drivers robbed before, and most have recognized afterwards it was because they ignored the tell-tale signs. no one answer the house phone when they called back before delivery, dark neighborhood, unlit house, etc. etc.

I give my driver a $1.00 a run in town, and $2.00 to $5.00 for out of town deliveries. If they don’t have a lit sign on top they don’t get the mileage.
I live in a very rural area, lots of 1/2 mile driveways, and homes on the back 40. The addresses are very difficult for the novice, people generally use landmarks instead. Its like delivering in JAPAN, but thats another story. A lit sign is a great was to hone in on your address, it great to call the customer and say, look outside can you see my car top sign, am I close.

And I have recognized that the businesses that are doing well are the ones who’s drivers comply and have a lit car top sign, and the businesses who are for sale, and/or are struggling are the businesses without.
 
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My turn…
  • According to HTH Inc., manufacturer of lighted delivery signs for cars and trucks, delivery vehicle signage averages 101 visual impressions per mile. This increases to as much as 138 at night when lit.
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Why would you not want to have a car topper? This is free advertising guys. Also, the more cars you have on the road with these signs the busier you look in the customer’s eyes.

We talk about advertising and raising sales all the time in this forum. If you don’t have car toppers for your drivers you’re simply missing the boat. Even if these $120 signs only generate one order per week:

$15(one order) x 52 weeks/year = $780 in additional sales.

If you generated 1 extra order per night:

$15(one order) x 365 days/year = $5,475 in additional sales.

I’d say that’s a pretty good return on investment. I’ve read some owners don’t like them. That’s fine. I don’t like to pay taxes, but I do it. Get car toppers! Whether you like them or not, they will increase sales in your restaurants. I don’t understand why this would even be an issue. Almost everybody in this forum is looking for ways to increase sales in their stores but they won’t use the simplest form of advertising there is? Are you kidding me? What’s the point of giving advice on raising sales if you won’t even do the basics? Having a car topper on your cars is just as important as having a lit sign on your building. As independent pizza operators we need every bit of exposure we can muster.

Cartopper rules:
  1. Make sure they’re lit at night (because if they’re not lit, they’re not working for you).
  2. Make sure they’re placed from right to left on the car because at night you just cannot see what’s written if you’re following behind the car and it’s placed on the car from back to front.
  3. Make sure they’re on you drivers cars on every run without exception.
Hell, I’ve got magnets on the side of my truck with a car topper on top 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I do this because I understand the importance of Brand Recognition. For those of you who aren’t requiring your drivers to have these on their cars, I ask you to reconsider. -J_r0kk
 
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Just an aside -

I have these installed on all my signs - makes making certain they are lit at night a no brainer. They are worth every penny. No, I don’t work for them - however, I wish I had thought of this…

www . signlits . com
 
Right to left across car . . . maximizes visibility time on approach and drive off.

I wouldn’t trade my toper in my market for anything. It is a constant
reminder that we are there, and present. We are the only shop in town, and we are setting the example for quality and brand. the next guys will be in OUR wake. We take advantage of anything we can do to get our logo, name and phone in front of as many people as possible as often as possible.

Even if associated with cheap pizza . . . I will never let another company’s model and brand be the deciding factor for marketing decisions in my store.
 
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#1 across the top of the car left to right with the wide faces, facing forward, and backwards.

Seems to be the clear winner!!!
 
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I have the Triangle topper that attaches to the window and plugs into the cig lighter. You can see it from the back and 2 sides and at night it is the most noticable with the bright bulb in it so it works great! We are always getting comments on it and almost every night it gets us a referal.
 
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