The United States’ car culture is something the States are known for abroad, but it’s sometimes hard to fathom, even for Americans, just how much people love their cars. Americans will spend close to $700 billion a year on car loans and insurance, according to Business Wire. In 2017, Californians alone spent $1.6 billion on car washes, as reported by the US Census Bureau. PR Newswire found that clearing their head by taking a long drive is something a quarter of Americans do, which isn’t a surprise, given that Gallup found that 83% of the adult population drives at least a couple of times a week, and 64% do so daily.
The global car modification market was valued at $52 billion in 2021, with more than half of its size being in North America. Americans like their cars to look pretty, too, which is why more and more of them, especially the ones living in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tri-state area are turning to illmatic Wraps to give their cars a new look.
Founded in 2016 by DJ B in Hackensack, New Jersey, illmatic Wraps was destined to become a success story from the start. DJ became interested in vinyl wrapping because vehicle customization was at the nexus of two things he loved: cars and hip-hop culture. Thanks to the design skills and winning personality he demonstrated while learning the ropes, he was soon able to strike out on his own and start pulling clients. Within a year, illmatic Wraps became a success story.
When asked how one becomes a presence in the industry that commands interest from clients and respect from peers, DJ B lists several reasons. “Our location in Hackensack is great because it’s fairly close to major highways and New York City, which is a huge market,” he explains. “That’s the practical part of it. We also know how to keep our services top-notch and how to market them well.”
In this line of work, word-of-mouth marketing is incredibly important because car customization enthusiasts tend to form a community of their own. illmatic Wraps’ early success involved building a starting customer base and then relying on word-of-mouth for it to grow. At the same time, the company was winning awards for its most high-profile design, eventually seeing it featured on the World Stars’ Instagram page—a milestone that tremendously increased the reputation and credibility within the car-wrapping community.
At the same time, however, DJ B and his crew applied their talents for visual design to boost their presence on social networks, Instagram especially. Thanks to consistent messaging and investing in the quality of content they produce, illmatic Wraps saw its number of followers on Instagram grow steadily, reaching more than 120,000 in 2022.
If there’s one worry DJ has, it’s finding workers who share his passion and have the know-how and skills needed to work on some of the most expensive cars made today. “With a client list that includes celebrities, industry executives, and rising YouTube stars, we have no room for mistakes,” says DJ. “What we do attracts many people. It’s a lifestyle, which is also our motto.” While the lifestyle is about glamor and beauty for the client, for DJ and his team, it’s about something else. “To us, illmatic Wraps is about community and being able to give back,” he says. “At the end of the day, it’s also about striving for excellence and finding fulfillment in doing what you love.”
