11/15/2004 Continental takes part in field trials for truck rear panel advertising

Hanover, 15th November 2004. Continental is taking part in field trials being run throughout Germany by Mechatronic GmbH and the German Federal Highways Office and involving around 300 trucks. The aim of the investigation is to study the effects of reflective rear panel advertising on road safety. Currently only reflective contour markings and side panel advertising on trucks are permitted in Europe. According to experts, though, the risk of pile-ups could be considerably reduced through the use of reflective advertising panels on the rear of trucks, as they are also visible at night across greater distances.

The fact sheet (in German) about reflective advertising can be downloaded as a doc-file here (31 KB).

At night everything is the same shade of black - even trucks can easily be overlooked in the dark or in bad weather if one approaches them from behind. In the rain their grey mass often disappears in the mist and spray they trail behind them. Contour markings and reflective graphics on the back of the truck help to avoid pile-ups in poor visibility. Continental has equipped around 300 trucks with reflective motifs from its 'Tyre with football stadium' summer and winter campaign theme for the field trials that have been running since October 2004. The campaign motifs featured on the side and rear panels of these trucks are now on the move all over Germany. Scotchlite reflective sheeting from 3M was used to create this vehicle advertising. This sheeting has the same structure as that used for many years on traffic signs. Even from a greater distance and in poor weather conditions, the sheeting will reflect the headlights of the vehicle following.

Positive experiences from other countries have so far not been used in Europe

Various studies carried out by the Technical University in Darmstadt back in 2001 already proved that trucks with reflective contour markings helped to reduce night-time pile-ups by up to 90%. To make the reflective contour markings more attractive for hauliers and advertisers, reflective advertising is now permitted on the side panels of trucks. The fact is, though, that so far in Europe, unlike numerous other countries such as Brazil and Argentina, contour stripes have not been prescribed by law for trucks and reflective advertising has not been allowed on the rear panels of vehicles - the most attractive advertising space. The field trials are designed to provide new information as to whether the argument really holds true that reflective advertising on truck rear panels distracts car drivers.

Reflective advertising has many benefits that are of great relevance for marketing experts. It is visible at night, when normal logos can hardly be seen. The advertising messages on truck rear panels also enjoy a considerably longer contact period with the motorist than, for instance, adverts in a magazine have with the reader.

"As an advertising medium, we consider trucks an attractive element in our marketing mix. We reach our customers precisely where they use our product - on the road" explains Bernhard Bamberger, who is head of Marketing Replacement Business Car Tyres and responsible for choosing this new form of advertising. "With their striking Continental branding, the vehicles are hard to miss and numerous motorists remember our advertising message well."

The Continental Group is a leading supplier of tyres, braking systems, suspension components and technical elastomers. In 2003 the company achieved a turnover of 11.5 billion euros with some 73,000 staff worldwide.

The tyre business unit is an Official Partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM. For further information visit the websites www.conti-online.com and www.ContiFanWorld.com.