To advertise or not, that is the question

[Wayne Doenges]

I have been coming to CD for many years and I have seen trailers being broken into/stolen.
Of these trailers, were they decked out in team and sponsor decals advertising your FIRST robotics team or were they plain?
We are considering wrapping our trailer but we are a little apprehensive about having it stolen.
Thanks

[Hadi379]

Ours is painted, with logos and so on, but we have never had any issues. *Knocks on wood*

In my opinion, I think it would be less likely to be stolen if it was decked out with logos and team names. It would make tracking/finding the trailer easier and more noticeable/identifiable.

[ebarker]

For a couple of years we had our trailer 'branded' and right now it is not. For some reason I tend to prefer 'unbranded' as it draws less attentions.

On the other hand,,, I remember a branded team trailer being stolen in Atlanta at the Championship.

Another team going to the Dome during the Champs saw that specific trailer on the way in and heard about the theft. Within a few hours the cops had the case all solved, because of the branding.

So maybe the answer is 50 / 50 tilting in favor of branding ??

[Chris_Ely]

When our trailer was broken into in 2013, the police officer that responded told us to leave the trailer blank. His view was that advertising "robotics" means "expensive stuff inside" to thieves.

[Tharioth Pillow]

Our trailer has never been broken into, but we've had parent and mentor cars broken and entered. They weren't really marketing our team, but they had nice cars...
*shrug*
I guess I don't think marketing is going to be as big of a problem as just somehow keeping the trailer safe.

[pilleya]

This isn't from experience, but I think trailers are more likely to be broken into than stolen, and if the trailer being stolen is the issue, perhaps wheel/ tow hook clamps could be used to make this more difficult.

It might be better to keep it blank and look into removable branding options like magnets( if a steel sided trailer).

[MailmanDelivers]

Originally Posted by pilleya

This isn't from experience, but I think trailers are more likely to be broken into than stolen, and if the trailer being stolen is the issue, perhaps wheel/ tow hook clamps could be used to make this more difficult.

It might be better to keep it blank and look into removable branding options like magnets( if a steel sided trailer).

Honestly - I think the branding from your trailer is fine and it also looks pretty awesome. It does bring attention, but if you are bringing a trailer into any urban area you are bringing attention to yourself - especially with a large event such as this. If you are worried that the branding creates attention, I'd look into magnets as the guy above me said.

[jweston]

Many years ago, I lived on campus in Newark, NJ. A number of my friends had cars and had to deal with break-ins and stolen vehicles. My advice is:

1. If you can afford to leave your trailer home and ship your pit, do it.
2. If you must have your trailer with you at the event, don't leave anything in it. Don't bring "just in case" things you intend to leave in the trailer.
3. Branding cuts both ways. If your branding is especially flashy as compared to others, it may make your trailer stand out as a target. OTOH, it's less likely that a smart thief will hold on to your trailer if it is branded. That does not mean they won't strip it for parts and/or destroy it, though.
4. Make sure your trailer is well-secured all of the time.
5. If you must go into your trailer while it's parked, bring a couple of additional free hands. Don't send someone to the trailer alone.

[Billfred]

One tip I recall (might've been from when Robokong's trailer was stolen in 2012): Paint the license plate number on the roof, whether you brand or not. It makes it more obvious if someone's looking from high overhead.

[GeeTwo]

It wasn't much of an option for us last year, because a sponsor had paid (over $9,000) for our trailer. We promised them three years of credit on the trailer and for the "team-as-a-whole". We may tweak some of our tam's "current support", but in practice we're mostly "locked in".

[Chris Fultz]

We have our team logo / number on top, so it can be seen from the air.