Handing over the keys of a client-branded vehicle to a Brand Ambassador – even a seasoned BA – can stir some uneasy emotions. The person we’ve hired to drive around, sample products, represent both Switch and its client, and connect with consumers is both part of our agency family and our responsibility. It’s on us to ensure he or she stays safe on the road. Easy, right? But things get more complicated as we scale a program to encompass more vehicles and more brand ambassadors.
A mobile program typically goes one of two ways. Either we organize a tour program in which one or two vehicles hit various events in multiple cities, or we organize a sampling program that involves multiple cities at once with a vehicle and team stationed at each city. Regardless, we have to streamline processes to ensure our field programs make the most sense logistically and financially.
Each and every mobile program goes through our St. Louis headquarters, where we’ll develop the most impactful yet efficient solutions for client KPIs. Keeping project management centralized here ensures top-notch, in-house control. Whether we need a truck wrapped in NYC or a van rented in San Francisco, our staff is on-hand to make sure it happens.
Partnerships with nationwide service providers
When sampling programs are activated in multiple cities, we acquire, wrap and maintain vehicles remotely. The solid partnerships we’ve established with national vehicle service providers make this possible. Each activation is different and therefore has different vehicle needs. Our network allows us to request specific, tailored and/or unusual vehicles on short notice from anywhere in the country. This gives us an advantage for projects like UberLIVE, for which we needed two glass body trucks to transport and act as mobile concert venues to showcase musicians.
These key partnerships also make easy work of preventative maintenance; brand ambassadors can travel to the nearest partner location and know that we are already in the system for whatever is needed. There are additional perks that keep us at ease: roadside assistance, towing services and 24-hour emergency numbers.
Vehicle wrapping is streamlined as well. Like acquisition, it relies on an established network of trusted installers.
Assigning a manager to each team
A major component of smooth-sailing fleet management is team organization and communication. We have to make sure our brand ambassadors are staying on track, hitting the events or cities they need to reach and completing the engagement tasks asked of them. As a program is scaled to reach more cities or cover a greater geographical area, the challenge increases – so we often hire full-time managers with sampling experience to join each team. The team managers are then held accountable for the part-time brand ambassadors. This organizational hierarchy creates a more comprehensive and efficient reporting structure for all involved.
Another perk of hiring managers is that they can take on additional roles that may otherwise be challenging for us to complete. For example, if we’re in need of an audio vendor in Philly, we can task a team manager in that area with finding a local company that fits our needs. This process has really helped us expand our database of reliable vendors.
Keeping it legal
The last thing we want for our brand ambassadors is a run-in with the law. Flashing red and blue lights don’t look so great next to a client-branded vehicle. Needless to say, we go to great lengths to ensure that, no matter the market in which we’re operating, we understand the laws and restrictions before activation. From licensing to Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance, there is an outrageously long list of items to check off with each vehicle we release onto the road. Fortunately we have Thaddeus, our own personal DOT coordinator here at Switch. His expertise in licensing, registration, inspections and DOT compliance ensures every vehicle in the fleet – not just those we own – adheres to state and federal laws. The tricky part (and what Thad does a great job of) is staying proactively informed of any changing laws. Particularly for vehicles that have to cross over multiple states, it’s essential to know we are informed and protected.
Minimizing risks
Vehicle accidents are fun for no one – but they can be especially detrimental for brand ambassadors who are adhering to a strict schedule … sometimes in an unfamiliar area. BAs can’t drive their beautifully wrapped, $150,000, centerpiece-of-the-activation vehicle to an event with a dented fender or broken muffler. We can’t have them drive around in a broken vehicle while the insurance company decides how it will resolve the issue. We need a fix ASAP. For this reason, we work with insurance providers that understand our business and know that driving a damaged vehicle, even one with cosmetic damage, isn’t an option. Swapping it out with a rental isn’t an option. Two weeks of downtime for repair isn’t an option. Our vehicles are thoroughly customized in appearance and functionality, so we need the whole vehicle repaired quickly to look brand new.
Switch™ is careful to maintain insurance policies to save our company, our vehicles and our brand ambassadors from mishaps on the road. Of course, the most proactive way we can prevent accidents is to thoroughly train our drivers. A confident, capable, responsible driver is the best offense we can provide.
Fleet management can very easily turn into a full-time job if we don’t have processes streamlined. Whether we’ve got 10 or 100 or even 1,000 vehicles on the road, the systems we have in place keep all parties protected.
You can get in touch with Mark at MarkS@TheSwitch.us.
)
