Promote like the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile!
As I cycle my bike to work one early fall morning, I am trying to not daydream on the bike path that I have ridden countless times. Although the path itself is very scenic and runs along the infamous Cherry Creek here in Denver, CO, I can’t help but inattentively petal continuously towards my office.
That is until I turn a corner and peeking over a small hedgerow is…what is…is that….yup…. The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile….
I remember seeing this thing as a kid back and was always so excited when it came around. Along with the Oscar Meyer Wiener song, these two promo tools created a significant retention of the advertisements and POS marketing.
Which bring me to my point. What a fantastic promotional tool by Oscar Meyer. They came up with a relatively simple idea. Make a vehicle in the shape of a hot dog and drive it around the country to promote their products. They started this back in 1936, over 70 years ago!! And it is still going strong. Today, there are 7 Wienermobiles currently on the road and any US citizen (with a valid driver’s license) can apply for the job as a driver. The job lasts a year and your official title is “Hotdogger”. It isn’t an easy job to get, however. On average there are 2000 applicants for every position.
In addition, in 2004 a contest was implemented that gave one additional loyal fan the right to drive one of the Wienermobiles around for a day. In less than a month, they received over 15,000 entries!
I do not know how significant the increased sales in these markets are, but I bet they jump considerably when the Wienermobile visits retail locations. More importantly, this medium is keeping Oscar Meyer in consumers’ minds just by being a unique and recognizable promotional tool. When I was riding by, there were people WAITING to get their photograph taken in front of it. This is brilliant!!! The other great idea was to engage your most loyal supporters by putting together the contest to win the vehicle for a day. These are the people that are going to talk about your product, which only gives you more credibility through the all-important word of mouth marketing.
I would say this is definitely a job well done.
For more info on it, check out Wikipedia.
adam-oleary
Adam is a graduate of Colorado State University (bachelor’s degree in marketing), and he has experience on both the client and agency side of the marketing world. These experiences led him to come up with a unique, more efficient business model, which he’s incorporated into Encite Marketing. Adam sets the strategic direction for all Encite projects, developing integrated marketing campaigns that bring results. He takes a consultative approach with clients, educating them about how the process works, and keeping them in the loop about end goals, steps, and tasks.
2 comments
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Debbie Teter
November 4, 2009I don’t believe there is any other campaign with the longevity of the Weinermobile?
Maybe that is why many products are TRYING to revisit their
“retro” campaigns as of late.
Love it!!!
Adam
November 10, 2009I wish any of my promo campaigns lasted even half as long as the Weinermobile. That would be a success!