Typically, custom truck lettering is useful for reaching out to onlookers by including information, but sometimes being mysterious can be a strong brand choice. Amazon.com has piqued interest in the media thanks to its use of a "treasure truck" that has been spotted traveling around the streets of Seattle, as CNET reported. Although the truck has its own Amazon web page, the appeal seems to lie in the mystery of what's really inside it, a mystery that the company is promoting across social media.
As the photos included with the source show, the features a trailer on the back that resembles a large Amazon shipping box, complete with the company logo and a black stripe. However, the front of the truck uses a large sign electric sign featuring the words TREASURE TRUCK, so onlookers can be sure they have seen the vehicle everyone will be talking about.
When a campaign seems to appear out of nowhere like this, the element of surprise can be an advantage. Certainly, Twitter users seem to be intrigued, with one saying "I have no idea what it is, though!" after tweeting out a picture.
On the other hand, even this example might seem to be too "showy," as GeekWire's John Cook called the truck "an obvious promotional stunt" due to the prominence of the social media aspect of the campaign.
For businesses that want to attract more attention, the takeaway could be once again that "less is more." Putting just enough details into truck decals to get customers wondering about it may help build a following before the "secret" is finally revealed, if ever. Amazon may already have a giant business presence, but smaller companies could learn from this sort of display and incorporate it into their promotional strategy.