July 22, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Pride Neon Sign Solutions.

For Budget Blinds, it’s mobile marketing.

When the Sioux Falls business is on the road with its dozen vans, trucks and cars, anyone nearby knows it.

For nearly 15 years, the business has outfitted its fleet with wraparound graphics that promote the Budget Blinds brand.

“It literally turns the vehicle into a billboard,” co-owner Adam Balding said.

“I’d say we get at least a couple calls a month off seeing our vehicles.”

For years, Budget Blinds has relied on the graphics department of Pride Neon Sign Solutions to design and install its vehicle wraps.

“They are incredible. We do quite a few, and they are phenomenal to work with,” Balding said. “They’re super prompt, whether it’s starting with a fresh vehicle or removing a wrap from an old one and putting on a new one. They’re super quick.”

At Pride Neon, the graphics department is a growing part of the family-owned business, offering vehicle graphics and wraps, vinyl lettering, banners, wall murals and Scotchprint graphics.

“We really pride ourselves on our vehicle wraps,” said Brett Boltjes, a graphics sales associate and 3M-certified installer.

“When people think vehicle wraps, they think it’s like putting on a sticker. But if it’s not put on right, you’ll have peeling right away, and it’s just not a professional look. If this is your mobile billboard, you want it to look great because it’s a big impression. You’re showing your brand to thousands of people a day driving around town.”

Pride Neon’s graphics department is one of fewer than 100 nationwide certified by 3M and the United Applications Standard Group for quality vehicle graphics installation. The UASG is the country’s leading group of professional graphic installers – proven and tested to be the best in the business.

“We’re one of few in the Midwest to earn this certification,” Boltjes said. “You have to go to the Twin Cities for the training course and pass a number of tests to be 3M-certified.”

Pride Neon also uses the best films on the market “because you get what you pay for,” Boltjes said. “This is going to get you the most life out of the product while it still looks great the whole time.”

The difference is obvious, Balding added.

“We’ve played around with a couple of the other guys over the years, and we always end up going back to Pride Neon because they do such a great job,” he said.

Getting started

All Pride Neon graphics projects are customized for every client.

“If you need a logo designed, we can do that, and our experts will work with you as far as the layout and customizing it for your style and brand,” Boltjes said.

While vehicle wraps are a solid strategy for any businesses, they’re especially valuable for businesses that are on the road a lot, have vehicles parked in high-visibility places or are trying to get their name out, he said.

“Startups are big,” Boltjes said. “As you’re ramping up your business, you still have time to spend an hour or two driving your vehicle around town instead of hoping people see your sign or ad somewhere.”

Existing businesses find tons of ways to use graphics in design and marketing, he added.

“We just got done with one for Wild Water West that they used in updating their bathrooms. So now it’s a really colorful beachy theme on the wall,” Boltjes said. “We’ve had other businesses put a giant logo behind the receptionist’s desk, or we can bring in photos that show its history and create a wall mural with them.”

Downtown, Pride Neon is behind the banners along the 11th Street skywalk marketing events.

“We do a lot of those, plus sponsorship banners for athletic teams, and we usually can get them done in two to three days from start to finish,” Boltjes said.

“For vehicle wraps, allow a little more time, especially during the summer, but we’re still very efficient. We might be a few weeks out for a full wrap, but we can get it started shortly after we have our initial conversation with you.”

And just to show how above and beyond Pride Neon goes for a customer – the company has even wrapped Power Wheels cars for Budget Blinds to use in a giveaway.

“They even do those for us,” Balding said. “And customers love them. It’s just a great relationship.”

Ready to get started with your own Pride Neon graphics project? Contact Brett Boltjes at 605-334-7446 or [email protected].