Ad bike hire.
Out where it matters.

When a managed campaign fits

A managed campaign can suit a college promotion, shop opening or local awareness campaign where your own team has other work to do. Start with the places and times that matter, then agree the number of bikes and the tasks for the people operating them. If you need leaflet distribution or conversations as well as a moving display, describe those tasks explicitly.

The Bike Ads’ history includes operated campaigns for colleges, gyms and other local advertisers. Cambridge Regional College’s August 2019 activity, for example, used a planned multi-bike deployment over two days. The service involved running the campaign, rather than simply supplying a trailer.

When DIY hire deserves a closer look

DIY hire can suit an organisation that already has people available to operate the equipment. It still requires preparation: identify who will transport, assemble, check, store and return the kit, and who will oversee the activity on each day.

The Bike Ads’ historical UCL work included DIY hire of an advertising-bike kit and bicycle with print. That is a different service from a campaign supplied with riders. For a new enquiry, ask which kit is available for your dates and check the current contents and responsibilities in writing.

When buying may suit your plans

Buying may be worth considering when your team expects to use the equipment repeatedly and can manage storage, transport and operation. Compare the purchase and replacement-print costs with the full cost of running each outing. Ownership alone does not provide a campaign team or a route plan.

For equipment enquiries, specify whether you need a complete setup or replacement parts and graphics. Include a photograph or model details when asking about print for equipment you already own.

Can an agency choose any of these options?

Yes—the first question is who will operate the activity. Tell us whether your agency needs an operated campaign for an advertiser, temporary equipment for your own staffing team, or equipment to keep. Identify the artwork approver and the person who will sign off the scope.

Which option costs less?

There is no useful answer without the scope. Compare the same dates, operating hours, people, equipment, print and transport. DIY and ownership leave operating tasks with your team; include those costs when making the decision.

Tell us what you want to run and whether you need an operating team, temporary equipment or a purchase. If you are unsure, describe the activity and the people you already have available.

What to check in your quote

On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare every column.

What changes the total?

More equipment or operating days changes the amount of staff time and production required. Several locations may add transport or overnight arrangements. Different artwork for each branch creates a different print requirement from using one design throughout.

Timing matters too. A fixed launch date leaves less flexibility than a choice of weekends. Send the dates early, especially if artwork, materials or location arrangements still need to be completed. Availability and production deadlines need confirmation for the specific booking.

Is printing included?

Poster printing is not included in the operating base. Allow at least five working days for normal preparation. An approximately three-working-day turnaround may sometimes be possible with an additional urgency fee, only after feasibility is confirmed; it is not guaranteed. The print and urgency amounts are quoted separately.

LED does not have the poster print charge or poster print lead time. We have very few LED bikes, so dates require an availability check. Artwork adaptation, approval, playback requirements and production charges are confirmed for the specific campaign.

Check the written quote. Identify whether you already have usable artwork, need new printed panels or want to reuse existing graphics. If you plan to change an offer during the campaign, include each version and its changeover date in the brief.

Artwork approval and design creation are different tasks. Ask for the specification for the equipment being booked before commissioning the final files.

Does hire include a rider?

A managed campaign and DIY equipment hire have different scopes. State which you need. For an operated campaign, confirm the riders, hours and duties. For DIY, confirm the kit contents and your team’s responsibilities for operation, transport and return. Compare the delivery options.

Can a longer campaign reduce the daily cost?

Ask for the whole schedule to be priced. Some costs may be shared across several days, while staffing and location requirements still apply. A multi-day quote is specific to its scope; a discount should not be assumed before it is offered.

What about weather or changes to the plan?

Agree how interruptions, route changes, postponements and cancellations will be handled before booking. Ask who can approve a change during the campaign and how additional costs, if any, are authorised. The terms for one campaign should not be assumed to apply to another.

1. Set the objective and the next step

Choose a main action: find a new store, visit an information event, look at available rooms or read an approved public-information page. Make the destination usable on a phone and keep the information consistent with the artwork.

Decide how you will recognise a response before the campaign runs. A dedicated landing page, offer code or enquiry-source question may help, depending on the campaign. Each records a different part of the response and has limits.

2. Agree locations, times and roles

Share priority postcodes, entrances, event times and any known access requirements. Agree a workable route and alternatives if a location becomes unsuitable. Being near a venue does not automatically give a team permission to operate inside it.

Name the person who can make decisions during the campaign. For work across several locations, use a location schedule with the relevant artwork and instructions for each team. If there are bikes, human billboards and promotional staff, give each role its own tasks.

3. Prepare the artwork and materials

Use the specification for the actual equipment booked. Check the headline, location, date, offer and next step, and confirm who gives final approval. A proof should be checked for factual accuracy as well as appearance.

If the team will distribute leaflets, agree who supplies them, where they are handed over, how remaining stock is handled and whether distribution counts are required. Confirm any briefing or approved answers for staff who will speak to the public.

4. Agree how changes will be handled

Set out how weather, access restrictions, late materials or timing changes will be escalated. Agree who can authorise a different location or schedule, and record material changes so the final report reflects what happened.

5. Specify the reporting before the campaign

Ask for the reporting you need when requesting the quote. The format, detail and delivery date should be agreed as part of the scope, especially if an agency needs material for its own client report.

Photographs provide context, not an audience total

A photograph can show the creative, equipment and location at a particular moment. It does not establish how many people noticed the message across a whole shift. Likewise, footfall in a street is not the number of people who saw or remembered an advert.

Ask for exceptions as well as highlights

A useful report explains material differences between the booked plan and actual activity: a revised location, changed hours or an interruption. This makes it easier to evaluate delivery and improve the next brief. Do not treat the initial booking schedule as the final record automatically.

Review response with the advertiser’s own data

Use consistent dates and definitions when comparing enquiries, visits or sales. Where other advertising ran at the same time, a change in results cannot automatically be attributed to the bikes. Report small totals as numbers as well as percentages.

The Bike Ads’ historical college and local campaigns include campaign reports and photographs. Discuss which reporting is appropriate for your new brief and have it included in the agreed scope.

Plan your campaign and reporting. Send the objective, locations, dates and the evidence your team needs afterwards.