A Three-Day Advertising Truck Plan for a New Store: Routes and Costs (2026)

One common opening-campaign mistake comes before routes or artwork: choosing an unsuitable medium. At a published HK$24,800 for design and wrap installation, a three-day campaign carries about HK$8,267 a day in production alone, potentially more than hire. LED often makes better sense for a short opening campaign. Here is a practical schedule and budget comparison based on those figures.

Key takeaways

Consider LED for three days: Around HK$4,800 design plus HK$20,000 printing/installation totals HK$24,800, or about HK$8,267 per operating day over three days. Published LED hire commonly ranges from HK$2,500–5,500 a day and uses MP4 or JPEG without physical wrap production.
Date-change risk: Wrap production commonly takes around 14 days. Fit-out or licensing delays can move an opening date; LED artwork is easier to update, although vehicle rescheduling and creative fees may still apply.
Compact neighbourhood coverage: Kowloon's five districts hold 30.1% of Hong Kong's population on 4.24% of its land, averaging around 47,557 people per km² versus about 7,000 citywide. Kwun Tong reaches about 59,704. This supports compact routes, not a guaranteed impression count.
School-area restrictions: The Road Users' Code identifies school entrances and nearby areas as places where drivers should not stop, even for pupils. Education campaigns need safe passing routes or lawful nearby parking.
Include staffing: Published rates include about HK$800 a day for a supervisor, HK$150 an hour for an assistant and HK$200 an hour for a promoter. An eight-hour day with one supervisor, two promoters and one assistant totals about HK$5,200.
Check food-licence requirements: A temporary stall selling reheated pre-cooked food or cooking prepared ready-to-cook food for off-premises consumption requires a Temporary Food Factory Licence from the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene.

1. Choosing the medium: start with the calculation

Allocating production costs

A wrap is a one-off production expense whether the booking lasts three days or thirty. Allocate around HK$4,800 design plus HK$20,000 printing/installation—HK$24,800 total—over different terms:

Cumulative operating days	Allocated production cost per day	Comparison with hire
3 days	About 8,267	Above the cited LED hire range of HK$2,500–5,500 a day
7 days	About 3,543	Comparable to daily hire
14 days	About 1,771	Below daily hire
28 days	About 886	About 24% of the all-in total

At published tiered rates, seven days cost around HK$31,500 in hire plus HK$24,800 production, or HK$56,300 total— about 44% is production. At 28 days, HK$78,400 hire plus production totals HK$103,200, with production about 24%.

For a three-day opening, LED is often the practical choice.MP4 or JPEG files avoid physical wrap production and can change from a countdown to opening-day offers and follow-up messages. For a full media comparison, see LED Trucks vs Traditional Vehicle Advertising。

An opening-specific risk: postponement

Printing and installation commonly need around 14 days, while fit-out progress, inspections or licence approval can delay a new store.Date-specific printed graphics may need replacement or remain unused after a delay. LED can change the displayed date without reprinting, but cancellation, rescheduling and artwork charges still depend on the contract.

The practical advice is: Use LED for the opening; consider a date-free brand wrap later if ongoing neighbourhood advertising is planned. Printed and laminated cast vinyl may last five to seven years vertically under specified conditions and can remain fitted across agreed bookings. Removed graphics are not assumed reusable. For the hire comparison, see Short vs long hire: comparing real costs。

Confirm how many hours are in a “day”

Every hour matters in a three-day campaign. Some suppliers offer eight hours within 10am–10pm; others provide nine hours starting on arrival at the target location, excluding the outward journey. This gives more usable time. Overtime commonly costs about HK$200–300 an hour.

2. A three-day schedule

D-1: the day before opening—build date awareness

Task: Let nearby residents know a new store is arriving. Keep four elements: store name, opening date, directions and one response link.Do not put every offer into the teaser . Save the main opening-day reason to visit for the next phase.

Time	Route focus	Screen content
Morning, if the booked service window permits	Estate entrances and market areas	“Opening tomorrow” + location
Lunch, noon–2pm	Nearby offices and dining streets	“Opening tomorrow” + signature benefit
Evening, 5:30–8pm	Homeward routes and shopping-centre approaches	“Opening tomorrow” + offer preview + QR code

Remember the stopping restrictions: Green-post restrictions on some roads cover 5–7pm, during the evening commute. Plan to circulate without stopping where those restrictions apply.

Opening day: encourage visits

Task: Turn earlier awareness into store visits. Keep routes close to the store, with authorised distribution or trial activities where appropriate.

Time	Route focus	Screen content
Around opening time	Repeat two or three suitable streets nearest the store	“Open today” + first-day offer
Lunchtime	Nearby offices and dining areas	“Open today” + lunch offer
Late afternoon to dinner	Homeward routes and the store neighbourhood	“Last few hours today” + a genuine time-limited prompt

For a stationary display near the store, remember that many public roads do not permit extended stopping . No-stopping locations include active restricted zones, bus/minibus stops, taxi stands, tunnel/control areas, expressways and crossings, even for loading or unloading. Use the store's authorised premises, a shopping centre, private property or another permitted site.

D+1: follow up with people who have not visited

Task: Move from introduction to action: a continuing offer, membership registration or an in-store reward.

Use the first two days' response data to inform route adjustments, allowing for delayed scans, different operating times and small sample sizes.Mobile campaigns can adjust routes as well as content, subject to the booking terms.

Content across the three days

Day	Content focus	Call to action
D-1	Date and location	Remember the date; scan for details
D-Day	First-day offer	Visit today
D+1	Continuing offers and membership	Visit for a reward or join the membership programme

One LED vehicle can carry all three phases without repeated physical printing; confirm artwork and update fees . Artwork creation, scheduling and operating days still cost money; digital fixed screens may also support content updates under their booking terms.

3. Choose the vehicle around the store's location

Neighbourhood stores: mini promotional truck

For residential areas, older streets or narrow access, a Mini promotional truck may be more practical than a large truck. Confirm the route and any private-property permissions. Our mini vehicle offers solar power, Wi-Fi and a payload of up to 1,000kg for stock and sampling equipment, subject to load, space, power and activity requirements.

If a longer-term wrap is planned later, published van prices are around HK$5,500–6,300 for two sides and HK$7,500–8,500 including all sides and roof, compared with HK$15,000–18,000 for a full large truck. Compare the actual coverage and specification.

Main-road and commercial stores: LED screen truck

For distance visibility and evening activity near broad roads or busy commercial areas, consider an LED advertising truck. Check its brightness specification: 5,000 nits is a commonly cited outdoor mobile LED baseline, with many configurations at 5,000–6,500 nits. For context, cited indoor screens may be around 500–1,000 nits and some domestic TVs 250–350, though actual models vary. Ask for the vehicle's specification and how brightness is adjusted to conditions.

Hands-on experiences: multifunctional promotional truck

For beauty, food or small appliances that benefit from trial, consider a Mobile showroom truck. A public example is The Body Shop's mobile mini-store with racks, trial space and checkout equipment, delivered by RoadAds.

Four vehicle-selection questions

Can the local streets accommodate a large vehicle?If not, check a smaller vehicle's dimensions and access. Budget cannot remove a physical restriction.
How far away will viewers be?For views across a road or beyond ten metres, consider LED such as P5–P8; for three-to-eight-metre viewing, consider P4 or a mini vehicle. Test the actual artwork and viewing conditions.
Will the message change each day?Different daily messages usually favour LED.
Will there be distribution or trials?Choose suitable payload, display space and power.

For the full comparison, see Five Vehicle Types Compared: A Selection Guide and Advantages of mini promotional trucks。

4. Three route zones around the store

Give each zone a role

Zone	Area	Route arrangement
Core	Within walking distance of the store	Include in every suitable loop; increase frequency on opening day
Secondary	Nearby estates, markets and shopping-centre approaches	Include on alternate loops to cover everyday journeys
Connecting zone	Roads linking the target areas	Use for transfers without unnecessary stops

A three-zone itinerary is clearer than “cover the district” and easier to verify against route logs.

Why dense Kowloon and Eastern neighbourhoods can suit compact routes

Cited densities are about 7,000 people per km² citywide, compared with Kwun Tong 59,704, Sham Shui Po 46,067, Yau Tsim Mong 44,458, Wong Tai Sin 43,730 and Kowloon City 40,994. Eastern at about 29,440 and Kwai Tsing at about 21,246 are also relatively dense.Kowloon overall averages around 47,557 people per km²—nearly seven times the citywide figure—with 30.1% of residents on 4.24% of the land.

For a new store, this means a short route can pass through a substantial residential catchment, though actual exposure and visits still need measuring.Lower-density New Territories districts, such as Yuen Long at around 4,825, Tuen Mun at 5,908 and North at 2,269, need focused town-centre and estate routes rather than whole-district coverage. For the full district guide, see our campaign guide to all 18 districts。

Two to four neighbouring commercial areas per day

Do not maximise geographic reach. Congestion and inter-district transfers can consume time with little relevance to the store's catchment.Opening campaigns need useful local repetition . Two or three small loops, changed by time slot, can work better than one large circuit. For route methods, see Routes, Timing and Coverage Strategies。

5. LED content: work within the pixel canvas

Your screen may be only a few hundred pixels wide

Hong Kong examples include side screens around 2.4m high × 5.76m wide and rear screens around 2.4m × 2.24m, plus 2.24m × 3.52m screens at 560 × 880 pixels, giving a 4mm pitch (P4).560 × 880 is smaller than a typical phone screenshot, so a detailed opening poster can become unreadable on the truck.

Four elements for an opening advertisement

Store name(readable at the intended distance, such as ten metres)
One strong reason to visit(a first-day discount, opening gift or offer for the first specified number of customers—choose one)
Directions(a street name or landmark, rather than a long address)
One usable response route(keep the QR code in a fixed position)

Use strong contrast, avoid fine lines and pale small type, match the actual aspect ratio and create 15–30-second content loops. Request the exact pixel canvas and safe areas after choosing the vehicle.

The most common artwork mistake

Putting the entire menu or product range on the screen.Pedestrians may look for only two or three seconds. On a canvas a few hundred pixels wide, ten competing items can make everything unreadable. Communicate that a new store is nearby, has a reason to visit and is easy to find; leave detail for the store or landing page.

6. Staffing and materials

Published staffing rates

Role	Published rate (HK$)	Responsibilities
Event supervisor	800 / day	Scheduling, coordination and incident handling
Assistant	150 / hour	Event support, crowd management and stock organisation
Promoter	200 / hour	Introducing the brand and products; distributing materials
Model	From 400 / hour	Attracting attention and presenting products

For eight hours on opening day, one supervisor (HK$800), two promoters (HK$200 × 8 × 2 = HK$3,200) and one assistant (HK$150 × 8 = HK$1,200) total about HK$5,200— comparable to a full day's hire for some vehicles.. Include staff alongside hire whenever distribution is planned.

A way to control costs: schedule promoters around useful peak periods. Five hours across lunch and evening would reduce two promoters from HK$3,200 to HK$2,000, subject to minimum-shift terms. For coordinated support, see Event production services。

Food openings: check sampling and sales licences early

A frequently missed requirement is that a temporary stall or kiosk selling reheated pre-cooked food, or cooking prepared ready-to-cook food for off-premises consumption, needs a Temporary Food Factory Licence before operation.Confirm the exact sampling or sales activity with FEHD alongside other opening preparations. For food and beverage planning, see Mobile advertising strategies for food businesses。

Who carries the stock?

Confirm payload for samples and gifts. Our mini vehicle carries up to 1,000kg, with solar power to reduce external-power dependence and Wi-Fi for registration. Match stock volume, equipment demand and available space before confirming the activity.

7. Three budget approaches

Option 1: basic visibility

Three days of LED circulation without separate event staff. At the cited HK$2,500–5,500 daily range, hire is about HK$7,500–16,500, plus LED artwork. Good static artwork with simple transitions may control production costs.No new physical wrap or separate distribution team is included in this option.Suitable for a clear retail or convenience-service message that needs little on-site explanation.

Option 2: visibility plus distribution

Three days of a suitable LED or mini vehicle, with opening-day distribution staff. Add about HK$5,200 for an eight-hour supervisor/two-promoter/assistant team. If both hourly roles work five hours while the supervisor remains HK$800, the total is HK$3,550, subject to minimum shifts. Confirm the chosen vehicle's own hire rate. This can suit food, beauty or service openings needing explanation or trials.

Option 3: a fuller three-day experience

Three days of vehicles, event staff and experience facilities. One published roadshow package lists HK$33,000 for a weekday or HK$60,750 for three consecutive days, averaging HK$20,250. It includes driver, coordinator, two 50-inch LCD TVs, side LED banners, generator, speakers, air conditioning, 4G Wi-Fi, carpet and wrap production/installation. Promoters and bespoke trial facilities still need confirmation or separate pricing. This can suit a chain's first store or a fuller brand experience.

Two variables to remember

The cited weekend premium is about 39% over the weekday rate.HK$46,000 for a weekend day versus HK$33,000 for a weekday means choosing the weekday saves about 28% of the weekend price. Use the audience's availability to decide; families may justify a weekend opening.

Request an itemised quote.Hire commonly includes driver, fuel and one return tunnel trip. LED artwork, overtime (often HK$200–300 an hour), event staff, extra crossings/transfers and private-venue arrangements may cost extra. For the full breakdown, see Mobile billboard hire costs 2026: rates and quote breakdown。

8. Measuring an opening campaign

A focused area and short schedule help organise measurement

Track first-week visits and campaign-specific offer redemptions. Comparable local stores or other branches may provide context if valid data are available, but differences in location, offers and brand must be considered.Simple tracking is a useful start; it does not prove every visit was caused by the truck.

Four levels

Execution: Require contractual route records, times, stop durations and on-site photos/video. Some fleets provide real-time GPS across all vehicles.
On-site activity: Count samples distributed, trials and QR scans.
Attribution: Use separate codes for D-1 registration, opening-day offers and D+1 follow-up, so each phase's responses can be recorded.Basic tracking can be inexpensive to set up.
Exposure: Estimate CPM only with stated assumptions; Hong Kong has no shared public industry audit standard for OOH impressions.

An example of useful reporting

A public RoadAds campaign covered over 40 locations, directly reached over 30,000 people and engaged over 6,000 participants. Of those participants, 35% expressed interest in learning more and buying, rather than completed purchases.This reports a direct-contact funnel rather than estimated impressions . Distinguishing delivery, participation and purchase outcomes makes reporting clearer.

Allow for delayed responses

Outdoor responses can arrive over the following one or two weeks. Review branded searches, direct website visits and returning customers around fourteen days after opening as well as on the first day, while accounting for other launch activity.

9. Restrictions and contingency planning

Stopping rules

The Road Users' Code lists locations where drivers must not stop, even to load or unload, including expressways, active no-stopping zones, zebra or light-controlled crossings, bus/minibus stops, taxi stands and tunnel/control areas. Signpost colours provide a reference:

Post colour	Restricted hours
Red	7am–midnight
Yellow	7am–7pm
Green	8–10am and 5–7pm
Grey	Other hours

Post colours are only a guide; the actual restriction sign takes precedence.Green-post restrictions include 5–7pm, a prime evening-commute window . Circulate without stopping on the affected roads during those hours.

School areas: essential for education businesses

The Road Users' Code identifies school entrances and nearby areas as places where drivers should not stop, even to pick up or set down pupils, and areas near school crossing patrols, as unsuitable stopping locations. Use safe passing routes or lawful nearby parking without obstructing traffic. Small vehicles have no exemption from the rules.

Sound restrictions in residential areas

Residential routes need careful sound control. Under section 5(1)(b) of the Noise Control Ordinance (Cap. 400), amplified sound in domestic premises or a public place that causes annoyance amounting to a nuisance can be an offence at any time. Vehicle speakers are included and no single acceptable decibel ceiling is specified. Avoid early-morning and night-time disturbance.

What if opening day has bad weather?

An opening date can be difficult to move. Some operators continue in ordinary rain and may operate under Amber Rain or Signal No. 3, subject to a safety assessment. Arrangements for Signal No. 8 or above, Black Rain or government-declared extreme conditions should follow current Labour Department guidance. Signal No. 3 corresponds to 41–62km/h sustained winds, No. 8 to 63–117km/h; Black Rain means widespread rainfall exceeding 70mm an hour recorded or expected. Unsafe local conditions may require stopping earlier.

Specify how unused hours are made up and how replacement dates are reserved.One postponed day changes a third of a three-day schedule, so agree this before booking.

10. Five opening-campaign mistakes

Mistake 1: committing to an expensive new wrap for only three days

HK$24,800 production allocates about HK$8,267 a day over three days and commonly needs around 14 days to prepare. LED can reduce physical-production and date-change complications, subject to actual quotes.

Mistake 2: covering too wide an area

A broad route can dilute repeat contact near the store. Two to four adjacent commercial areas per day is often more practical than many distant districts.

Mistake 3: overcrowding the screen

An LED canvas may be only 560 × 880 pixels. Keep the store name, one incentive, directions and one response link.

Mistake 4: omitting the day before opening

The teaser builds date and location familiarity, while opening-day content prompts action. Their roles differ even when the hire cost is similar.

Mistake 5: leaving out tracking

Separate QR or offer codes for the three days can measure responses and redemptions at low setup cost. Without them, it is harder to learn what to repeat; scans alone are not store visits.

11. Approaches by business type

Business type	Suggested vehicles	Content focus	Priority times	Additional consideration
Restaurants and food outlets	Mini or multifunctional vehicle	Signature dish + opening-day offer	Lunch and dinner	Check FEHD requirements for the exact sampling or food-sales activity
Retail and fashion	LED in commercial areas; mini vehicle in neighbourhoods	One featured product + opening offer	Evenings and weekends	Show one product rather than the full range
Beauty and personal services	Mini trucks	Introductory trial price + location	Evenings and weekends	Repeat suitable local routes to build familiarity
Tutoring and education	Mini trucks	Trial lesson + registration link	School dismissal periods	Do not stop near school gates; use safe passing routes or lawful nearby parking
Clinics and professional services	Mini trucks	Services + appointment link	Evening	Use a measured tone and follow applicable professional-advertising rules
A chain's first store	LED + multifunctional vehicle	Brand presentation + invitation to an experience	Relevant peak periods throughout the day	Consider a roadshow package and arrange venue permission early

For detailed industry approaches, see Mobile Promotion Across 10 Industries。

12. Frequently asked questions

Should a three-day opening use LED or a printed wrap?

LED is often more practical. A cited HK$4,800 design plus HK$20,000 printing/installation totals HK$24,800, or HK$8,267 per day over three days, above the cited HK$2,500–5,500 LED daily hire range. Wrap production also commonly needs around 14 days and date-specific print is harder to change if the opening moves. LED files can update without reprinting, but creative and booking-change fees still depend on terms. A date-free brand wrap may suit a later, longer community campaign.

How many days should opening promotion run?

A practical short plan is three days: D-1 builds awareness with the name, date, location and response link; opening day promotes a first-day offer; D+1 follows up with membership or a continuing offer. One LED vehicle can carry all phases without repeated printing, subject to artwork/update fees. Longer community campaigns can be considered separately.

Which vehicle suits a new-store opening?

Start with access and viewing conditions. A mini vehicle may fit older or narrower residential streets that a large truck cannot, subject to checks and permission. Our mini vehicle includes solar power, Wi-Fi and up to 1,000kg payload. An LED truck suits broad-road visibility and evening activity; 5,000 nits is a commonly cited outdoor baseline. A multifunctional vehicle can provide racks and trial space for products needing demonstration.

How wide should the route be?

Use three zones: a walkable core included in each suitable loop and more often on opening day; nearby estates, markets and shopping centres on alternate loops; and connecting roads used mainly for transfers. Two to four adjacent commercial areas per vehicle per day is often practical. Prioritise relevant local repetition over distant coverage, especially in congestion.

Why can dense Kowloon neighbourhoods suit opening campaigns?

The cited densities are about 7,000 people per km² citywide, versus Kwun Tong 59,704, Sham Shui Po 46,067, Yau Tsim Mong 44,458, Wong Tai Sin 43,730 and Kowloon City 40,994. Kowloon averages around 47,557 and has 30.1% of residents on 4.24% of the land. This supports compact residential routes, but does not prove impressions or visits. Lower-density districts such as Yuen Long (4,825) and North (2,269) need focused town-centre and estate loops.

What should the opening artwork say?

Use four elements: a readable store name, one strong incentive, a street or landmark direction, and one usable QR or response link in a fixed position. A 2.24m × 3.52m LED screen may have only 560 × 880 pixels, while viewers may glance for two or three seconds. Avoid putting a full menu or range on the screen; leave details for the store or landing page.

How much should opening-day staff cost?

Published references are about HK$800 a day for a supervisor, HK$150 an hour for an assistant, HK$200 an hour for a promoter and HK$400 an hour upwards for a model. One supervisor, two promoters and one assistant for eight hours total HK$800 + HK$3,200 + HK$1,200 = HK$5,200. Reducing the two promoters to five hours lowers their portion to HK$2,000, subject to minimum shifts; other staff costs remain separate.

Does a food-business opening need a sampling licence?

Ask FEHD about the exact activity. A temporary stall selling reheated pre-cooked food or cooking prepared ready-to-cook food for off-premises consumption requires a Temporary Food Factory Licence before operation. Other sampling or drink arrangements may have different requirements. Address this alongside opening preparations. Confirm stock weight and equipment space; our mini vehicle has a payload of up to 1,000kg.

Can the truck stop outside the store?

Only where stopping and the display are permitted. Restrictions cover expressways, active no-stopping zones, crossings, bus/minibus stops, taxi stands and tunnel/control areas. Post colours are a guide: red 7am–midnight, yellow 7am–7pm, green 8–10am and 5–7pm, grey other periods. Actual signs prevail. Green-post evening restrictions overlap the commute. Use authorised store premises, a shopping centre, private land or another permitted site for a stationary display.

Can a new tutoring business advertise at school gates?

Do not stop at or near school entrances or crossing patrols. Use safe passing routes or lawful nearby parking without obstructing traffic; vehicle size does not exempt you. A display inside school grounds needs advance written school permission. Keep the message focused on a trial lesson and registration link.

What if severe weather affects opening day?

Some operators continue in ordinary rain, Amber Rain or Signal No. 3 subject to safe conditions. Suspension and shelter arrangements for Signal No. 8 or above, Black Rain or government-declared extreme conditions should follow current Labour Department guidance. Reference winds are 41–62km/h for No. 3 and 63–117km/h for No. 8; Black Rain means widespread rain exceeding 70mm an hour recorded or expected. Agree make-up hours and replacement dates because one day is a third of the schedule. Unsafe local conditions can require earlier suspension.

How can I tell whether the campaign worked?

Use different QR or offer codes for D-1, opening day and D+1, recording scans, registrations and redemptions separately. Require route logs and on-site photos/videos, and count trials and samples where staffed. Review branded searches, direct website visits and returning customers around fourteen days after opening as well as on launch day. Compare with a suitable baseline where available and account for other promotions; tracked responses do not prove all incremental sales.

Source

Supplier prices and material lifespans are references, not binding quotes or durability guarantees. Calculations use the cited prices; formal quotations and minimum-shift terms prevail. Population comparisons use a 2021 Census baseline. Road, noise, food and weather requirements depend on actual conditions, signs and current departmental guidance. Attributed third-party case studies are not PEAKVEIN client work.

A Three-Day Mobile Billboard Plan for New Store Openings: Schedule and Cost Calculations