[Republished from the original submission by Stan Phelps at 12most.com]
July marked the 75th anniversary of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. The 13 foot weiner was one of the pioneers of mobile marketing. It worked long and hard touring the country to engage consumers where they eat, lived, worked and played.
Today it has doubled in size. Six weiners criss-cross the country evangelizing the brand. Those lucky college grads selected for the task are appropriately called ‘hotdoggers’.
[Sidebar – they hand out weiner whistles at each event, #362 in the Purple Goldfish Project]
Enough background, let’s have a look at 12 of the most awesome examples of custom vehicles in the history of mobile marketing:
1. The Pep-o-mint Car
Product Replica: This idea was totally out of the box.
2. Zippo Car
Product Benefits: The Zippo Car lit up the roads back in the day.
3. The Clydesdales
Heritage: These iconic symbols and Super Bowl MVP’s of the Budweiser brand define the term ‘horsepower’.
4. The Stagecoach
Tradition: Not to be upstaged by the Clydesdales, Wells Fargo draws upon its heritage of once owning the Pony Express with their iconic stagecoach.
5. Go Fish
Personality: This is near and dear to my heart . . . the Pepperidge Farm Goldfishmobile
6. 3 Kisses
Replica: The Hershey Kissmobile. Sweet motoring.
7. It’s Mr. Peanut to You
Character: He’s over 100 years old, wired for speed and completely nuts.
8.Taking to the skies
Larger than life: It’s a bird, its a plane … its the Goodyear Blimp
9. Kicking it up a notch
Novelty: Marshalls Department Store red stiletto.
10.A big truck
Larger than life: Tonka takes it up a notch
11. Bringing a campaign to life
Symbol: Coors rolls in on the rails.
12. Army Virtual Experience
Go Big: Four 53 foot trailers and a colossal inflatable.
Any custom vehicles I’ve missed?
