Promohire - The latest insights on brand campaigns & activations

Why Booking Your Promotional Vehicle Early is Key to Success

Written by Chris Morell | Mar 17, 2025 4:13:19 PM

Even a one-day campaign can have a lot of moving parts, and you don’t want to struggle to pull everything together at the last minute.

It all starts with one thing – securing your promotional vehicle early.

If you’ve chosen a particular vehicle for your brand activation, don’t wait until you’ve finalised every little detail before locking it in. Read on to see why it’s essential to get in early, and how it can make a big difference to your whole campaign.

Commit first, refine later

Your first priority should be committing to the activation’s core elements:

  • The objective – What’s being launched or promoted?
  • The vehicle – Which one best fits what you want to achieve?
  • The dates – When does your brand activation need to go live?

Once these are confirmed, it’s time to book the vehicle for your preferred dates, so we can allocate resources to your campaign. We can also create the artwork, arrange logistics, and source locations that best fit the vehicle itself and the campaign goals.

You’ll also be in a position to refine your vision with details like how your vehicle will look and what you might do to supercharge your activation in terms of engagement.

Why book the promotional vehicle early?

Here’s why it’s best to lock in your vehicle before getting too far with the finer details.

Better availability – The most popular vehicles book up fast, especially for peak campaign seasons. Early booking ensures you get your first choice, without compromise!

More time for planning – With your vehicle confirmed, you can focus on locations, branding and other elements without rushing. It also gives us time to customise your vehicle and provide campaign support services if you need them.

Your budget goes further – Last-minute bookings can mean higher costs, fewer options and a rushed experience. So, getting in early is one of the best ways to maximise your ROI and build a brand activation your audience will love.

Going the extra mile – Given the time, Promohire can help take your brand further. Take Netflix, who wanted a unique ice cream to go with its Witcher van. We spent weeks on the process; producing and testing each batch for an ice cream that was just right.

What can happen if you delay?

You may have to scale back your activation.

If, for example, you want a vintage Airstream but give us a deadline of three weeks, there may not be enough time to customise it fully, or find venues that work for its size.

Even for smaller brand activations – the longer you wait to lock in your promotional vehicle, the higher the costs and the less you might achieve.

Brands that booked early for maximum impact

SHEIN – This fashion retailer wanted to take its Christmas countdown to the next level. By booking in the summer, they gave us time to customise 6 vehicles, build games, scout locations and arrange a photo shoot in a live studio environment.

Get festive with SHEIN’s Xmas countdown

QV Skincare – QV contacted us in January for a campaign to go live in May. Advance notice meant we could customise their Airstream with demo stations, educational displays, a wheel game and branded extras to push engagement. It also meant they could visit central locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.

See QV Skincare’s summer roadshow

Secure your vehicle now

Ready to lock in your promotional vehicle? Book today to get the best fit for your campaign and stay ahead of the competition. Check out our fleet, choose your vehicle, and fill out a quick form to get started.

You can then refine your campaign with the help of our guides to brand amplification, disruptive marketing, and the vehicle hire checklist!