Place it on the side! Evaluation of stickers’ positions on test cars used in field studies

• Vehicles in field studies: Where should involved institutions place their labels?
• Participants judged pictures of label arrangements on a paper-pencil questionnaire.
• Labels were judged on two scales: positive valence and artistic aspect.
• Label placements on the sides of cars received the highest ratings on both scales.

An important question in field studies concerning mobility is where on the vehicles to apply labels of the involved institutions. Research institutions and participating companies might typically have conflicting ideas concerning the design and labels as some want to avoid manipulation of the participants while the others want to maximize the advertising effects. To minimize any negative influence of such labels on the behavior of the participants, the appearance of the vehicle with the labels should be as pleasant as possible. The present study investigated the placement of stickers on cars (front vs. side vs. rear end) independently of stickers’ content. Participants (N = 509) rated figures of cars that illustrated label placement on a paper–pencil questionnaire. The results of an explorative factor analysis indicate that people evaluate sticker placement on two scales, namely positive valence and artistic aspect. Surprisingly, placement on the sides of a car received the highest ratings on both scales. It can be concluded that any information required on test vehicles should be placed on the sides of the vehicle rather than the front or the back.