TintTotaal | Creative Touch

TintTotaal Reclame has been specializing in advertising and signage since 2008.

We ensure that your message reaches your target audience both indoors and outdoors.

Tinttotaal specializes in indoor and outdoor advertising: car lettering, facade advertising, large format full color prints, car wrapping, stand construction, flags, signage, window film, interior applications and creative signing concepts.

TintTotaal was founded by the three Akçay brothers. Although they are all very different from each other, they complement each other extremely well. Each of them is a hard worker who started working immediately after their studies. Şahin and Osman worked in the hospitality sector, while Faruk worked as an IT professional. As a car enthusiast and Fast and Furious fan, Şahin was often busy with his Golf GTI.

One day in 2006, when Şahin needed window film, he was shocked by the extremely high prices. He thought it should be easier and cheaper. Together with his brothers, he started a project to provide cars with window film at a reasonable price. The idea for TintMyCar was born. The brothers literally started their window film business in the garage. A typical start-up story: small at the beginning, but with enormous potential. Within a few months, TintMyCar began to offer more accessories for cars: sun protection film, car stickers, and wrapping.

The company started to grow. From 2008, the business continued under the name TintTotaal. The Akçay brothers moved into their first 80m² business premises near Sloterdijk Station. TintTotaal began to play a bigger game: they saw a new potential market for advertising stickers, car lettering, and façade advertising.

The first years were exciting. The financial crisis of 2008 came around the corner and also hit the Dutch economy. Together with his brothers, Şahin made the first major investments in the company: a new building, an expensive Roland VP540 printer and plotter in one, and high marketing costs. It was an exciting start.

“In the beginning, no one had heard of the term car wrapping,” says Şahin. “In 2008, it was quite difficult for an entrepreneur to make their product known. We handed out flyers in Amsterdam for weeks to make TintTotaal known. It seemed to not get off the ground at all in the beginning.”

In 2009, things started to look better for TintTotaal. The demand for sun protection film increased. We rolled up our sleeves because the requests flowed in. The combination of a prime location with striking façade advertising, flyer distribution, and a modern new website began to bear fruit.

Window film, car lettering, and façade advertising: there was sufficient demand in the market. Was it due to the flyers? Maybe, but it could mainly be due to the good reputation the brothers had built with TintMyCar and TintTotaal. What applied then, also applies today: word of mouth is the best form of marketing.

Making choices is part of being an entrepreneur. A company grows, generates more revenue, and starts offering more services. As an entrepreneur, you are constantly forced to make decisions. For example, where do you invest your money and time?

In 2012, TintTotaal decided to take a new direction. Sustainability would become an important feature of the company. Materials such as print media, window film, and inks: everything would from then on be produced in an environmentally friendly manner. New investments in materials and machines? No cheap solutions, but a larger budget for sustainable investments.

What is the thought behind this? Entrepreneurship is about making money, building a company, and especially commercial success. Sustainable materials often cost more money. Is it good for marketing?

“Making money should never be the primary goal,” says Şahin. “Building a successful company is nice, but it’s not just about profit. One day, you have to hand over the baton to someone else. It’s about leaving something good behind for the world. If you as an entrepreneur have the opportunity to produce your product sustainably, then it is your duty.”

Customers and companies seem to align well with the vision of the three brothers. A few years after shifting to sustainability, TintTotaal has major brand names as clients. Coca-Cola, Heineken International, and HelloFresh. Even the large multinationals of the world see the added value of sustainable production.

TintTotaal’s success not only brought commercial success but also recognition. In 2015, the company received an award from the municipality: the most sustainable SME in Amsterdam.

Today, TintTotaal has grown into a large enterprise. The company specializes in visual communication, but signage, print, and window film are now part of a long list of services offered by TintTotaal.