Truck of the Month: Dutton Plumbing, Simi Valley, Calif.
Fun and memorable
Having followed in his father’s footsteps, Eric Dutton started his own plumbing company in his late 20s. Now, 26 years later, he has 39 employees. Dutton Plumbing is a 100% residential service and repair company. Located in Simi Valley, Calif., the company covers 14 cities in Ventura County and 50 in Los Angeles County.
With so much ground to cover, Dutton Plumbing needs every one of its 18 trucks. These trucks feature three different wrap designs. Of the 18, 16 are wrapped in the yellow design (above right). They are Mitsubishi FE 160s with a 12 1/2-ft. Hackney P2000 with years ranging from 2005 to 2013, all wrapped by Eyedentity Graphics in Camarillo, Calif.
In an effort to raise awareness and money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, a pink version of the truck wrap was made. The truck is available upon request and Dutton Plumbing donates 10% of all profits made to the breast cancer research and education group.
“The tech that runs this truck, Oscar Delatorre, really loves it — he’s got pink shoe covers, pink business cards and just about anything else you can get in pink,” says Eric Falconer, operations manager at Dutton Plumbing. “It turns heads and we donate several thousand dollars each year.” The pink truck (above left) is a 2012 Isuzu NPR-HD with a 12 1/2-ft. Hackney P2000.
“The Hackney boxes have an unbeatable lifespan,” Falconer comments. “The shelving system is the gold standard in the industry. The best part of them is that because of the size, they’re a mobile billboard that helps spread the word about our brand.”
In another attempt to turn heads, the puppy wrap was created. It uses the same color scheme as the yellow trucks only it has a puppy on the back passenger window and three puppies on the rear windshield, one of whom is holding a plunger in his mouth. Wrapped around a 2007 Ford F150 by Thumbprint Ink in Simi Valley, the puppy truck also has a “honk if you love puppies” bumper sticker.
The company slogan “The plumber you’d send to your Mom’s house” can be seen on all three wraps. It originated when Falconer was trying to convey to a customer service representative what set Dutton apart from other plumbing companies. “I wasn’t doing a very good job of explaining it and then the phrase popped out organically,” Falconer says. “I told him how he might not care what type of person goes to his house but if he were going to send someone to his Mom’s house, he’d probably want a true professional that’s been background-checked, drug-screened, etc.”
Dutton Plumbing’s slogan also can be heard on the company’s radio and TV ads, along with a jingle. The radio campaign is an ongoing series of Eric Dutton and his mom, Joan Dutton, interacting. The seven radio ads and one holiday commercial can be viewed on the company website. “We wanted them to be fun and memorable and so far it’s been great,” Falconer says. “Another unique thing we do to advertise is give out jar openers with our logo and slogan on it. It goes back to Mom; she always asks me to open jars for her.”
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