Many forms of advertising and promotions are simply the same old ideas warmed over. In some cases, that's not so bad, since marketing rests on age-old principles such as exposure and repetition. But only rarely is a company able to take those time-tested principles and work them a new and exciting way. One of those new ways is promotional bike advertising.



Promotional bike advertising means that the bikes themselves are the primary advertising tool. This concept is especially suited for urban areas and small towns, where biking is possible and the roads around businesses are navigable by bicycle. Or in this case, quadricycle, since most of the pedal-powered vehicles used in promotional bike advertising are four-wheeled rather than two.

These bikes, called adbikes, look a little different from an everyday bicycle. The cyclist sits at the front and pedals. Behind him or her the bike is set up so that two six-foot by four-foot panels can be hung—usually the same panel hung twice, because it bears the advertisement the company wants seen on both sides. They are like rolling billboards, but instead of you driving by them on the highway, they drive by you on the street.

When the bikers ride around the neighbourhood, the result is that a large, very targeted audience sees the ads. Obviously a pedal powered vehicle cannot go into the suburbs or the countryside, but there's no reason for it to do so; the target market is in the condensed area where the bikers are assigned to ride. This has a significant impact on the area, because nearly everyone who lives or works in the area is exposed to your promotion. This is a higher rate of success than any current marketing strategy.

Once your target market sees the signs rolling by on the whimsical bikes, they are very close to the point of sale. Because of the limited geographical area, everyone who views the ad is near the business being advertised. And because of the lower speed of bikes, the ad stays in their field of vision for a long time. It offers a very low cost for thousands of effective impressions.

In addition, these marketing campaigns can take place nationwide, as a large campaign, not limited to one neighbourhood. If someone coordinates efforts, adbikers can be riding through several cities at the same time, advertising the company's promotions at the same time. In downtown or tourist areas, a promotional bike can ride through day and night to point visitors to your products, goods, or services.

In addition to the high visual impact, the adbikes also come equipped with sounds systems comprised of microphones and speakers. In case the visual isn't enough, the bikers can announce your promotion through their sound system, causing heads to turn and look at the source of the speaking—your ad—and giving potential customers yet another venue from which to absorb information about you and your business.

Bikes are excellent, low cost, high impact tools for a unique way to advertise. You should consider adding a promotional bike to your marketing repertoire.