Shrink-Wrapped Bentley Convertible

A joke that led to a Shrink-Wrapped Bentley Convertible

Angel Investor, serial entrepreneur and engineer Julian Ranger shrink-wrapped his Bentley Convertible to promote new DAD.App Software

DAD.APP Wrapped Bentley Convertible

The first appearance of a prestige car with such a unique appearance, since John Lennon’s Rolls Royce - Business man Mr. Julian Ranger of J Ranger, Ltd, after launching his new Private Secure Sharing DAD.App Software, decided to both promote and advertise it through a particularly unusual and interesting method.

The new app from DAD Solutions Ltd, is designed to manage and share digital assets. By purchasing the DAD, you can organise, store, share and manage your digital files safely and easily. The software aims to be ‘Versatile and easy to use.’

On a days outing to Farnborough Air-show, a range of shrink-wrapped SMART cars caught his eye. Julian then decided the idea of a wrapped SMART car would be a fantastic advertisement for his software. “We should buy a SMART and wrap it,” Julian said. “A few friends often commented on how funny it would be, the though of me in a SMART car,” However, along with being quite humorous, by purchasing a SMART with the added cost of graphic design and wrapping, it would have cost a substantial amount of around £12,800. That’s when a whole new idea came to mind.

An absurd joke, turned into reality. “You should wrap the Bentley!” Julian explained how a conversation with a friend, led to a small joke which was soon to become a huge business advertisement, and a successful one at that. “I said actually that’s not a bad idea,” said Julian.

After owning the Bentley Convertible GTC since 2007, Julian has grown very fond of his Bentley and was prepared to include it within the DAD business. “The Bentley is a lovely car to drive. I use the Bentley often,” said Julian. Producing the design for the Bentley wasn’t a straight forward job, and took two attempts to achieve the final design. “My graphic designer, designed the template,” the cost was not at all as large amount as it would have been if Julian had taken up the idea of purchasing and shrink-wrapping a SMART. It cost only £1800 to wrap the Bentley due to the fact he already owned the car, and also used his own graphic designer. With the completed and correct design prepared, the Bentley was then taken to Your Sign Company in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire to be shrink-wrapped. “It was quite a quick process taking only two days, which was very impressive” Julian said. “It was also the first prestige car the (company) had ever done, so they were happy,” Julian explained to me how when the Bentley has to be taken in for a ‘re-do’ to maintain the stickers quality, it also treats and looks after the body work, and added bonus.

“If you’ve got it. Why not?” Julian explained how he wouldn’t have gone through with the idea, if he hadn’t already owned the Bentley. The Bentley reflects the DAD product as both the car and the software are very unique - “A wrapped Bentley even more so” - and whilst the Bentley is expensive at one end of the scale, the software is at the other end at a reasonable price. This therefore promotes a unique, high quality and affordable product.

“My first reaction of my PR was, ‘Oh my God,’” Julian said. He referred to many occasions when the Bentley had drawn plenty of recognition. “The funniest one has to of been when I was waiting to pull out of a junction and a car turned to come past me and someone leant out of the window with a camera!” The Bentley draws so much attention to the public and is also what you could call, a chain reaction – When someone sees the Bentley, they spread the word. I asked Julian what are the most common reactions he gets whilst out in the Bentley: “The head turns,” he replied. Julian explained how a few people remarked “You must be mad!” but when they realised the Bentley was only shrink-wrapped, and then design wasn’t painted on, they thought it was great. The majority of the customers, especially the first few, probably gained interest through noticing the Bentley. “The Bentley is a general floating advert,” Julian said.

Julian Ranger - 'Sit in the Bentley' advertisement

To promote and advertise both DAD and the Bentley further, a day trip to Basingstoke Shopping Centre was arranged where the day was spent speaking with the public about the product and allowing everybody to take a seat in the luxurious Bentley, rather than the usual handing out of fliers. “Instead of just handing leaflets out to people, we decided to take the Bentley into the centre and let public sit in the Bentley and have lots of photos taken, which are up on Facebook,” Julian said. An enjoyable day meant more interest was captured for the product with the help and unusual input from the Bentley. “It is most definitely working” Julian said “We are looking to do more work to it in the future to improve it more.” The consumer research, public reactions and more, is shown and worked on and strengthened through the help of the Bentley advertisement. I asked Julian is he was pleased with the outcome and how successful it has been, he replied “Yes I am pleased. The outcome definitely validates doing it.”

A fantastic, prestige car with a purpose to impress and advertise a new product has worked out perfectly. The Bentley is now a prominent icon in the DAD.App business.

By Sophie Williamson