License Plate frames-any experience?

[Stephenwz968]

I'm looking to order some license plate frames to put on client's cars for advertising (of course I'll ask for permission to put them on), and I've found several online retailers-but wanted to see if anyone has had them done and what the experience was? Thanks!

Steve

[JonP]

Check with your state/area laws on the license plate frames. Where I'm at, they just made them illegal. But they are not really enforcing the law as much as others. I have one on my car and never been bothered.

[757motoring]

I was going to do this over the summer get nice metal ones for my car and then plastic ones for customers. I think it a good ideal. Why will they make a law against plate frames?

[JonP]

Originally Posted by 757motoring

I was going to do this over the summer get nice metal ones for my car and then plastic ones for customers. I think it a good ideal. Why will they make a law against plate frames?

I have no idea, I only obey the more expensive laws, all others I break'em.
Some people don't even know the law exists, so check your laws before placing them on other peoples' cars, you don't want them to get pulled over. It is a good idea though.

[PTRon]

"It is a good idea though" - unless you're doing daily drivers that get trashed. Image is everything and IMO you don't want your name out there on dirty cars. Maybe putting them on cars that you maintain on a regular basis is a good idea but if you have a customer who you only see 2-3 times a year, I'd think twice about putting my name on that. Just my 2 cents.

[bigltc]

My mechanic put a frame on my front plate and gave me a coupon for $35 off my next visit if I still have his frame on the car.

[Scottwax]

I'd be po'ed if anyone even suggested putting a license plate frame on my car. I think it is a completely obnoxious way to advertise and personally, if I see a car dealer license plate frame (let alone a hideous emblem), it becomes MUCH less likely I would consider doing business with them. One of the first things customers ask me to do when they get a new car is for me to remove the dealer emblem and license plate frames.

If your work is good, your customers will tell their friends about you without you having to spend a dime.

Jon-Texas has repealed that law and car dealers have rejoiced and can now ugly up cars with their frames. For some reason a few years back, the Texas legislature outlawed anything that obscures the letting on Texas plates and most dealer frames covered up part of the lettering on both the top and bottom of the plates.

[kompressornsc]

Being in the promotional product business, here's my take:

Frames are ok. Walk through a mall parking lot, and I'll bet over half have a dealer frame, 25% have a vanity frame, and the rest have none. If a detailer wanted to buy them from me, I would ask about the demographics of their customers. Are them mostly daily drivers & minivan moms? If so, they might be appreciated / used / effective. Doing mostly exotics? Don't bother-won't be used.

As far as them being on dirty cars. Not a big deal. It's all about name recognition / familiarity, not how something is presented. Think car dealers want someone to remove their decal / frame if a car doesn't look showroom new? Nope. Doesn't matter.

I agree with Scottwax about referrals. It's a personal service business and referrals carry more weight than advertising. The key is making sure your customers are ready to give referrals and have you top on mind. My personal favorites (after a professional appearance) would be cards (something nicer than a business card-laminated or credit card style) for them to keep in thier glove box and hand out. Another cool little item I like is a car coaster. They run from 30 cents (felt) to $3 or $4 (Coasterstone), and are actually useful. Someone also recently asked about windshield shades. Again, I like the idea. Not too expensive, serves a purpose, protects the car and it a great big billboard. One time I did these for a bank on a car loan promotion. You couldn't go through a parking lot in town without seeing one. Made them look like they were doing every car loan in town. Name recognition is key. If you drove through an unfamiliar town, and every house for sale was listed by one realtor (no matter how ugly or unkempt the house), who would you call if you wanted to buy a house?

For promotional product marketing, the key is to think it through in the mind of your customer or potential customer. Don't rely just on what you think.

[Stephenwz968]

Wow, lots of thoughts and ideas...I got the idea from a customer, and thought it sounded like a good idea, looks like I'll have to give it some more thought.

Thanks for all the feedback!

Steve

[JonP]

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Jon-Texas has repealed that law and car dealers have rejoiced and can now ugly up cars with their frames. For some reason a few years back, the Texas legislature outlawed anything that obscures the letting on Texas plates and most dealer frames covered up part of the lettering on both the top and bottom of the plates.

OK, I was incorrect about the license plate being completely illegal here in TX. However, I was told that TEXAS has to be seen on the license plate and cannot be covered up by the frame. But again, the law really is not being enforced that much here.

[DaGonz]

It's a bad idea. My work being seen and Word of mouth has gotten me 99.9% of my detail jobs, and doesn't cost me a penny!

[ptaylor_9849]

Don't waste your money. I owned a painting company for a few years and I drove around with those foolish magnetic signs on my doors. I never got one phone call from that investment. However, I did get some nice sun fading on my paint. Think about this rationally, in your entire life have you ever been sitting at a red light and wrote down the phone number of the vehicle next to you and used their services? Probably not. Hey look, it's a total stranger. I think I'll invite them to my home. Do it if you want but seriously, don't expect any jobs from it.

Patrick