Looking at the damage which resulted from the meteor, it begs the question; just how could window films have helped reduced some of the overall impact?

While there is no question that even the most durable film in the world could not have stopped the actual meteor—which was the largest to fall since 1908, at 10,000 tons and 55 feet in diameter, according to the Wall Street Journal—could security attachments have prevented minor glass damage from the debris and shock of the meteor?

“Basically what the film would do is hold the glass together,” says George Emerson, sales representative for Pro-Tection Seattle Inc.

While the film could not have prevented the external building destruction and glass breakage, it could have helped prevent some of the internal damage, as well as injuries.

“What would have happened is the blast would have just caused the glass to peel back like a banana, but the glass wouldn’t go flying around,” says Emerson.

“From what I understand, a lot of the injury came from glass breakage,” says Glenn Yocca, president of U.S. Film Crew. “Any time you have glass breakage, window film helps contain the glass fragments. Security film would have been a major benefit.”

How can dealers help prepare consumers for events like this?

“I think something like this brings awareness of the unexpected,” says Yocca. “This is very much an unpredicted event, but there are other events, such as a hurricane which may be more anticipated; this event raises the awareness that some happenings are so unexpected and I think dealers can bring that up to consumers.”

“It’s just an additional step added for safety and security,” Yocca adds. “It’s something that’s in place; once it’s installed, you have that peace of mind.”

“We’ll actually ask each client who comes in for automotive tinting if they want a security film in place instead of a typical, traditional tinted film,” says Richard Marti, president of All American Window Tinting in Denver, Colo.

Educating consumers on the risks they face daily can also help the sale of these films.

“We do our best to provide statistics; another thing we do is go to the local law enforcement website and pull up information for that area,” says Michael Mayall, CEO of Pro-Tect Tint in Las Vegas. “Whether you’re looking for automotive crime or residential crime; we print it out and show customers the [area] crime within the past 30 days. We also team up with a lot of alarm companies and we cross-promote with them. We’ve found educating the customer is a helpful tool.”

Installation of a smash-and-grab film isn’t the only way to protect gifts stored in cars during the holidays.

“Even if [customers] go with non-security tinted material; clear glass and valuables in plain sight are more likely to be stolen,” says Marti. “If the windows are tinted, the vehicle is less likely to become a part of a smash and grab.”

“When customers believe they want clear [films], I explain the benefit they get from a tinted film is the return on investment,” says Mayall. “What if you never experience a break-in? If you go with a solar option—an enhanced option—then you at least get that benefit.”

Globally, tint shops are employing coupon options to attract automotive security film customers.

Sun Stop Window Tint in Durban, South Africa has a pre-order coupon available offering up to 55 percent off on smash-and-grab window tint for one or two cars on the Groupon website.

Additionally, the company’s website says, “Tinting has always been associated with increased
security for your vehicle. All Sun Stop Window Tint solar films render the glass shatter resistant, holding shattered glass in place in the event of an accident or an attempted smash and grab.”

Quality Tint of Cape Town, South Africa also has a similar deal listed for pre-order on Groupon’s website offering 50 percent off a smash-and-grab window tint for a standard car with four standard windows.

How do you market during the holidays? Email Casey Neeley at cneeley@glass.com and share your ideas. Also, take the windowfilmmag.com poll on our homepage to tell us what marketing tool delivers the most business for your company.

At each venue my crews were installing 7 mil security film, but one venue had hundreds of windows that were stippled glass. As we all know we can’t put film on a non-smooth surface. In come the geniuses at 3M who have a liquid security film called Scotchkote (Urethane Glass Coating 605). Admittedly I have been in the industry a mere 13+ years but I never heard of this product and neither did any of my installers. So I thought maybe some of you haven’t heard of this product either.

Scotchkote is made expressly as a single component liquid applied anti-shatter coating for use on glass (including stippled glass) and it’s rolled on like paint. Being intrigued by this new (to me) “quasi film product” I wanted to get my hands dirty and see how it installs—yes that’s me in the video.

Scotchkote is clear and much thicker than a traditional paint. It rolls on easy and requires two coats. For maximum protection it needs two coats on both sides of the window. Of course the surface must be cleaned before installation and appropriate safety gear must be worn. I don’t see it as a replacement for security film on regular windows because it doesn’t have the optical clarity that a high quality film does. However, it certainly offers a protection for certain types of glass that we haven’t had a solution for before. This, of course, means another product we can make money on.

If you remember, in my last blog I left you hanging and guessing on four pictures from Muscat, Oman of some U.S. retail institutions. How many did you get right in “Name That Place?” Here are the complete pictures of each sign.

The survey last month asked how you trim film. Do you use a trim card, free hand or do you do both? It seems like most of us use both methods depending on the windows and circumstances as 46.2 percent was the highest response. Coming in second was trim card only at 30.8 percent, while only 23 percent of you like to go free hand exclusively (you daredevils).

This month I want to know how many of you knew about Scotchkote. Was I the only one in the dark?

Quote of the Month

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said:

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

This quote is often attributed to the Dalai Lama, but this is disputed. I love the quote though.

The text of the ad, published by United Kingdom-based Northgate Solar Controls (NSC), read as follows: “How safe are you behind your glass? Clear anti-shatter window film helps to: Prevent flying glass from explosions. Stop spalling if glass is hit. Reduce risk by ensuring glass breaks safe. Upgrade glass to comply with BS6206 Standards.”

According to the report from the ASA, the NSC ad also claimed there was a “red alert for [the] Olympic Games” in place and made references to “terrorist threats.” The flyer was mailed to about 4,400 London and surrounding county businesses by the company in February 2012.

The mailed letter that accompanied the ad included the following: “You may have already been visited by the met[ropolitan] police or other government agency to warn you of the current highest level security alert which is being issued ahead of and for the duration of the Olympic games … The message that the police and the home office are giving includes the precaution to consider the strength of your glazing and upgrade it where necessary with the application of a tough clear security film as a deterrent to lethal flying shards of glass in the event of a bomb blast in the vicinity of your building …”

The ASA began to investigate after it received a recipient’s complaint questioning the offensiveness of the NSC ad and whether it “caused undue fear and distress.”

In response to the ASA investigation, NSC officials advised the agency that “the mailing was not intended to offend or cause undue fear or alarm but was simply to help minimize the risks in the event of an explosion by the application of bomb-blast film.”

The company also states “that prior to compiling the mailing, the company had been told by a customer based in North London that the police had visited them and told them they needed to have bomb blast film applied before the Olympics due to the increased risk of terrorism and in view of protecting members of the public from shattered glass,” according to the report.

NSC also advised ASA that it did receive a complaint about the image of the bus bombing and then withdrew the mailing, according to the report.

As part of its investigation, the ASA also contacted the police about the ad, and, according to the report, police officials advised that “they routinely encouraged businesses and other organizations to implement protective security measures, with laminated glass being one such measure …”

The ASA alleges that the ad made false claims, such as that the highest security alert was in place and that security measures relating to film installation were included in listed precautions for the Olympics, and therefore the complaint was warranted.

“We also noted the mailing’s references to ‘suicide bombers’ and ‘undetected sleeper cells’ and, taking all of the above, considered that the tone of the mailing had exaggerated the potential threat faced by businesses due to the Olympic Games and could have caused undue fear and distress to someone who received the mailing,” writes the ASA.

ASA concluded that the ad breached Committee Advertising Practice Code, specifically rules 4.1 and 4.2, which claim violation of harm and offense, and decided the ad “must not be repeated again in its current form.”

According to its website, the ASA is an independent organization “that monitors advertising and ensures that consumers can trust what they see in advertisements.” The group both accepts complaints and makes judgments about advertising code violations within the United Kingdom.

In cases such as that of the NSC ad, the ASA’s procedure is to publish a report about its investigation and decision. If companies do not adhere to its decisions, ASA officials say they “reserve the right to refer them to other bodies for legal sanctions, such as the Office of Fair Trading.”