WRL News

WRL News

Remember the Wrapper

Whether or not the recession is officially over, Northeast Ohio is still struggling with the economy. Everyone's cutting back, and when a company cuts back, advertising is usually the first thing to go.

So why has C. Todd Locke, owner of WRL Advertising, turned his personal vehicle into a 2 1/2 ton mobile billboard?

"It's a way of putting our money where our mouth is," says Locke. "We understand the tendency to cut advertising, but it should be one of the last things to go. There's no better way to express this than to practice what our agency preaches."

Locke cited the advertising tactics of Wrigley's Chewing Gum during the Second World War as an example. "The key ingredients in Wrigley's were allocated to items needed for the war effort," he said. "Before long, Wrigley's was unable to make gum that met their standard of quality, so they pulled it completely out of the civilian market. Then for two years they ran an advertising campaign telling people to 'remember the wrapper,' and promising to return. After the war, Wrigley's relaunched their product line and it came back even stronger than before. Advertising helped their customers to remember the wrapper."

Using new technology to transform his pickup with a new design, Locke is counting on people to remember the wrapper as it becomes a fixture on Jackson Township's roads. "We're in an age where you have to think outside the box in order to get people's attention," he explained. "The world is now cluttered with advertising, but there's still ways to get through and make it work."

Dr. Wraps of Canton performed the recent wrapper install on Locke's truck. One of the WRL's artists created the design and uploaded the files to Dr. Wraps' printer system. The installation process took about two days to complete, and should last at least two years.

Is that long enough to ride out the current economic downturn?

"More than enough time," Locke laughs. "The message is that we've been here for more than fifty years, and are still here when you need us. Which is now more than ever."

For more pictures, take a look at our the WRL Truck photos on Flickr.