Flyers left on cars

[guscat]

We launched our new website at the end of Jan and so far so good, we are getting more and more users to the site every day via a wide means of marketing activity....however....

I was at Crufts and I noticed somebody had left flyers under windscreen wipers of cars...cunning me thinks (not original but good) then I remembered something about the fact you can be fined for people having to pick up the leaflets should people discard them on the ground in city centres, and a fine for each flyer found. Does anybody know if this just applies to councils in city centres or to venues such as the NEC etc?

there is also a question of someone with a dodgy windscreen wiper suing you for 'breaking' their windscreen wiper I suppose so I am v unsure of doing this myself at the moment...

Has anyone done this before?

Thanks all , Rachel

 

[Joe E]

Seriously don't do it its cheap, tacky, and annoying for the recepient and I'm sure all those things is not want your company to convey.

 

[DancingWithPoodles]

if you do it to me, i will wipe my poodle's ... with it and send it back to u

 

[LondonPrintBrokers]

I'm afraid I never pay any attention to flyers under windscreen wipers either. I'm invariably in a hurry to drive off and it irks me to have to remove a flyer from a windscreen wiper before I can - especially if it's been raining!

Sorry

 

[dingbat]

As Joe E said, it's a negative in my book. It's akin to flyposting.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

I must admit its one form of advertsing that REALLY drives me mad. I never ever read any rubbish stuffed under my windscreen - ever Its worse than cold calling and thats annoying enough.

 

[garyk]

I must admit its one form of advertsing that REALLY drives me mad. I never ever read any rubbish stuffed under my windscreen - ever Its worse than cold calling and thats annoying enough.

Agreed Nicola! I'm pretty calm and laid back but that makes me go mad, and I mean absolutely seething! Its not good, its not guerilla marketing in any way shape or form. Its a tired and occasionally used (and probably) ineffective marketing method.

 

[Joe E]

Yeah I pitched to company recently to do a standard distribution for them we did everything properly gave them all the value add stuff we do such as mapping and helping to pinpoint their target market etc
Eventually they said to us oh we've decided to give our leaflets (20,000) to someone who will put them on all cars in and around the area for £10 per 1000 to say I was astonished was an understatement I saw the leaflet it was very well put together, good quality printing & stock, very good copy, they must have spent a decent amount on it and then they give it to someone who in all honesty would be surprised if they actually dispatched the 20k.
It's beyond me how people devalue their business in this way

 

[yorkshirejames]

I usually glance at them - I'm very captive when I'm getting into my car. The local hand car wash put a leaflet/with boxes for buy 5 get 6th free) on my windscreen, and they've had my business a few times. I certainly wouldn't print a leaflet from their website, and probably wouldn't take a leaflet from my house and put it in the car....

 

i never even look at then straight in the bin for me

 

[Flying Hippy]

Reading this post I am now thinking where you guys and girls would recommend putting a flyer/ leaflet that does not go in the postbox or car windscreen. Agreed we all get annoyed with them.

 

[Liybpg]

I think it can be a good idea only for those companies who have something to do with cars - e.g. car wash or something interesting for car owners. Otherwise it is just spam

 

[popunder]

As mentioned elsewhere, you can also get people claiming you scratched or dented their car while putting the flyer on.

In terms of having to pick up dropped flyers - each council has their own policy on this so you'll need to check with them if you decide to hand the flyers out out in the high street.

 

[Investors-Wanted]

IF a flyer ends up on the floor, I am sure that you will get a notice from the council for commercial waste

 

[PhoneSupportWorldwide]

Although, whilst in total agreement with everyone (I hate picking up soggy leaflets off my car when it's been raining), I think the only time I was ever interested in a leaflet left on my car was a discount voucher for the local car washers which did get my attention!

Just a thought to throw in there!

 

[Graemem]

I had one put on my windscreen, unfortunatly they used really cheap paper. It rained while i was away from the car... I came back, noticed the flyer, then had to peel it off the windscreen leaving half of it behind! I was not amused, it also screwed up my window wipers while i was driving. I still have the dried out leaflet somewhere, i had planned to send it back to them but never bothered (Wasn't really a priority!).

I wouldn't do it, probably cause more bad than good.

 

[thebigIAM]

And another no vote from me. It causes way too much litter.

I'm friendly with a car park attendant who offered to put my leaflets on the windscreens in his boss's car park, but I politely declined. I thought it would annoy people too much. His boss too, I shouldn't wonder, though I know him very well.

 

[jewellery on the web]

i never even look at then straight in the bin for me

Its seems to be a fairly popular way to advertise around here - I must get a leaflet on my front/rear windscreen at least once a month after being parked in NCP car parks in town- I have not yet read one of them!!!! .... it drives me mad
Tess

 

[Liybpg]

well for that matter, don't you hate flyers all together? I rarely pick them up just because I feel sorry for the guy/girl. There's one or two places in my uni which you cannot pass without a flyer being pushed to your face. Now that is annoying.

 

[coxdabd]

Flyers under windscreen wipers usually irritate me. However, depending on your business, you may be able to target your market...if it's families, perhaps people carriers, family cars, etc. I'd also make it very bold. People go crazy and love any free, so if you could perhaps give something away then it might be a good way of luring them in.

Be very careful though with this, could be a very wrong move if not executed correctly.

Best of luck.

 

[Grencolur]

Not a big fan of pamphlets on windscreens either
For what it's worth, I sat in on a webinar recently and the fellow running it mentioned to put a flyer in the shopping trolleys out the front of wallmart. He stated that people usually will look at it when they get their trolley, they may be interested and keep it and if not they usually would not throw it on the ground because it's littering. After their shopping, they would usually put the trolley back and the next person will view it. Not too sure what wallmart would think of that though??

Cheers
Tony

 

[sellickbhoy]

I hate them being left in my car. Though I can't claim that it would damage my opinion of the company who left it - as I can't ever remember reading one. And what annoys me is i then have to carry it around until I can find a bin for it!!!

I think it's just about acceptable for car related businesses and it might also be ok to do this at an event. like the OP said - he was at crufts, so most attendees will be dog owners, so someone with an online pet related business might do OK.

I have a fruit and veg box business - so I go to local farmers markets and spend the day handing them out to people at the market - I figure these are the sort of people who would like my services/products, so i'll hand them out there. I wouldn't stand outside Tesco and hand them out there and I wouldn't put them on peoples cars.

A friend of mine is starting a personal trainer business, she was gonna pay a fair amount of cash getting thousands of flyers printed and putting them through every door in town, I suggested she just spends a full week hanging outside the local gym and handing them out to people going in and out (local gym doesn't offer personal training services)

 

[yorkshirejames]

I am obviously in the minority then!

 

[Flying Hippy]

Would people would take more notice of flyers if they were in an envelope and then dropped in peoples letterboxes ?

I like the idea of leaving them in supermarket trolly but would it really work ? Point is converting flyers to cash whatever method will work ?

 

[Joe E]

There are lots of factors to achieve to get good ROI in this, some of which are entire topics in their own right such as Printing, Copy, and knowing your target market.
I still stand by my response to the OP that it is largely ineffective and presents a bad image however reading the posts re car washing etc that could be the one industry that it lends itself nicely to; as some have alluded to.
That said it's still just one componment in the entire marketing mix you should have for your business.

 

[yorkshirejames]

Would people would take more notice of flyers if they were in an envelope and then dropped in peoples letterboxes ?

I like the idea of leaving them in supermarket trolly but would it really work ? Point is converting flyers to cash whatever method will work ?

I always expressly ignore stuff delivered to "the occupier" and dismiss it as advertising that Royal mail is paid to deliver.

 

[Fuzzy]

A Def no-no for Fuzzy too

 

[tpsprint]

I would really disregard doing so!

 

[saxondale]

I always expressly ignore stuff delivered to "the occupier" and dismiss it as advertising that Royal mail is paid to deliver.

ours goes to "the occupier" - when we know the property has changed hands.

 

[yorkshirejames]

ours goes to "the occupier" - when we know the property has changed hands.

Obviously things that appear "official" would get opened - but not things that appear to be from a private company.

 

[Rainbow Chasers']

If you are doing a flyer run - contact local estate agents, and see where they want leaflet drops.

Then you get paid for delivering your own leaflets!!