Posted by Todd Buckton on Wed, Aug 25, 2010
53' Double Drop Trailer ready for customization
40' Class "A" Motorhome
Many times we get asked: "Can I use a Class A motorhome for my mobile tour?" And of course, the answer is a definitive...maybe.
Class “A” motorhomes have many advantages over a 53' mobile environment. Since they are self-contained, they are smaller and more nimble; they can park in many places a larger tour might not fit. They can be highly customized and offer surprisingly roomy interior enlargement with slides. They can be less expensive, especially in the short run to operate. And, most importantly it seems, a commercial driver’s license is not necessary to operate a motorhome.
But there are myriad reasons why a 53’ custom environment can be a better fit for your needs.
A 53’ tractor-trailer combination is designed and built for long-haul running. It’s nothing for a 53’ mobile tour to cross from coast to coast over a several day period. If a breakdown occurs, a replacement tractor can be easily introduced; motorhomes with internalized engine and drivetrains are out of action. And those same mechanical components take up valuable selling space onboard the tour. Not so with the 53’ custom transport. All space in the customized transport is devoted to enhancing your brand. Even components like HVAC and restroom facilities are built to withstand more use and strain. A 53’ custom transport with the right AC can sit in the Mojave desert and keep it’s occupants icy cold. The cost to run a 53’ tour in the long run are typically less when all factors of upkeep, maintenance and operation are accounted for. Yes, a professional driver is needed. But isn’t that what your tour and your brand deserves?
So, depending on the application, a Class “A” motorhome might make perfect sense. Used within a short radius, local application like a bookmobile or blood donation vehicle, these can be ideal. If ingress/egress is not an issue - especially ADA compliance - and numbers of visitors is not critical, this can be a perfect solution.
Yes, we do get asked: "Can I use a Class "A" motorhome for my mobile tour?"
But we also often get asked: “Can I retire my Class “A” motorhome and upgrade to a tour that will be less headaches for me?”
To determine which application is right for you, download the PMG eBook below for more information on the best way to Drive Your Brand Experience.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, May 07, 2010
Today's View From The Cab comes to us from Leonard, Promotional Management Group driver and all around guru of things that sport wheels.
Leonard had recently been in Topeka, Kansas where he wrote: "Bad Weather! Got into the hospital just seconds before a big hail storm hit. Tornado warnings all around. What a day!". The truck was safe and sound, the client's delicate robotic surgical equipment was safe and it was just another successful healthcare mobile marketing event for PMG, home of the best drivers in the business.
But with crazy weather and another great stop under his belt, Leonard moved on to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Hot Springs Village has an interesting distinction: it's the largest gated community in the United States. With over 26,000 heavily wooded acres - which works out to just over 39 square miles - and about 8500 residents, it has full-time security staff at all entrances for complete peace of mind. 9 golf courses, 11 recreation lakes, 10 clay tennis courts, the sheer size boggles the mind. And you have to know somebody to get in.
Here's a shot of the truck Leonard took while he was there doing an event:
And another shot around a particularly sweet bend in the road:
Thanks to Leonard for another view of our great United States of America as we go from one end to the other helping our clients Drive The Brand Experience.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Tue, Feb 23, 2010
Today's View from the Cab is from PMG Master Driver Dave who just finished a trip from California to Denver for the next leg of a mobile tour for a valued healthcare client. The photos he took are just west of the Vail pass. Dave said he just missed a huge storm that dumped lots of snow on Denver and the local ski areas.
Not only are these beautiful photos but they are a perfect way to show why mobile tours are a great way to get your product in front of people who want to buy. Multiple large scale gatherings like trade shows continue to fade in importance in the minds of decision makers. Decisions like increased travel costs, better online communication technology, inconvenience to attendees and a general desire to stay closer to home looms large with your core audience. That's why mobile tours are such a great way to break through the clutter. Take your product to where the decision makers are and make it easy for them to be bowled over by your incredible product. Make it easy for them to experience your product and you make it easy for them to buy your product.
Dave left Denver and is now in beautiful Minot, ND showcasing our client's product to prospects and customers who don't have to go far to be impressed by their offering. And at less than 100 miles to the Canadian border, the weather is lots worse in Minot than it is in Denver this time of year, but our client has made it easy for their prospects to experience an excellent product. We battled the elements. We brought it to them. Another great reason to use mobile tours to Drive The Brand Experience.
All photos by PMG Driver Dave Christenson
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Feb 12, 2010
We've looked at the types of vehicles that are available for your mobile tour, now let's look at how these can transform into unique marketing spaces.
If we say that "you are only limited to your imagination" when it comes to customization, you might think that's an overused, hackneyed phrase. But when it comes to mobile event marketing, it's completely true. Once the transport is safely parked at the venue of your choice near your prospects and customers, that's when the fun begins. Set up for a transport can be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days and these transports can become anything. Here's how they might start:
53' Single Slide Transport
This is referred to as a "single slide" transport. It's indicated as having stairs at the front and the rear of the slide out, but that choice is all yours. The doors can be put on the opposite side, the front, back, wherever it's right for the specific application. The slide allows the transport to get down the road and then opens up onsite to become a roomy, luxurious selling environment. Here's an example of a single slide:
A variation of this transport is the double slide:
53' Double Slide Transport
This transport will allow you to more than double the floor space of a straight 53' transport and give your product or service more than ample room to adequately market your product in a singular environment.
Another variation is a stage area instead of a slide. This makes the 53' transport a natural for live presentations to large audiences.
53' Single Slide/Single Stage Transport
Here's a couple of variations of that same stage concept. One is a retail operation:
This application allowed the manufacturer to sell high-margin accessories while showcasing their latest product offerings.
Here's another variation of the same type of transport. This time, the side opens up to reveal the full-size business jet fuselage. This display was used to presell a new business jet that was being developed and built. Incredibly effective, highly targeted and amazing ROI.
Now we have an idea of what is possible with custom transports. As we said up front, if you can imagine it you can have it. And just to prove our point, we'll leave you with a custom transport built in Australia that turns into...well you just have to see it to believe it. Brilliant. Expect to see the same concept soon here in the states.
Incredible perspective views of custom transports by Derrick Johnson
Sweet Australian Mobile Pub by Truckmania
All other cool photos by Promotional Management Group
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Jan 22, 2010
This entry into the RoadBlog Mobile Event Hall of Fame looks good, smells good and serves up great-tasting brats. That in itself is cause for admission into this Hall of Fame (see previous Hall of Fame entry), but the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill is an experiential delight.
With tongue placed firmly in brat-filled cheek, Johnsonville has stirred that primordial part of every male's brain that craves meat grilled over an open fire. A tanker truck converted into a giant grill that Johnsonville provides gratis for events (you buy the brats...). It's a grill disguised as a giant brand experience.
People take their pictures in front of it. It gets lots of press and it gets smiles wherever it goes. And wherever it goes there's a brat waiting.
What's not to like?
Happy guy with Blue Shirt photos by Ed Kohler on Flickr
Posted by Todd Buckton on Tue, Oct 20, 2009
At the risk of dating myself, I remember when Ford's ad slogan was "Ford Has a Better Idea". It was in the 60's, and it was thought that an appeal to younger buyers could be achieved with this new campaign. Now I think Ford does have a better idea to sell more cars: Instead of hoping the prospect goes to the dealership to look at a car, bring the car to the prospect.
In a novel take on direct marketing, Ford teamed up with houseparty.com to sponsor over 1,000 parties for around 22,000 people during football Sunday last week to promote the newly designed Ford Taurus. Each party featured "Party Packs" with banners, thunder sticks, and DVD's with football greats extolling the virtues of the new Taurus. Plus, a new Taurus was delivered to each party by a local dealer for test drives. Acceptance for the parties was driven by a contest to award a new Taurus for the event that received the most votes online, integrating the event into an internet environment as well. This innovative promotion was capably brought to fruition by Jeff Eggen, Experiential Marketing Manager for Ford.
And what did the promotion do? It put the car into the hands of people who could buy during a positive, fun experience. They got to see the car, touch it, sit in it and drive it in a relaxed atmosphere. Ford brought the experience to a prospect and made it easy to convert them to a brand advocate. Ford has enough confidence in their product that if they can get people to experience it, they will be more apt to buy it. It's all a numbers game: the more people that see it and drive it, the more Ford will sell. And as a Ford official said of the novel way to promote their cars: "This is a very efficient way to generate test drives."
The same is true for mobile event marketing. Amazing things can happen when you bring a well-positioned product to a qualified prospect and deliver a memorable experience. This connection is why mobile tours deliver positive ROI faster than traditional methods of promotion. You can read more about this great Ford promotion at the Detroit Free Press.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Oct 02, 2009
The recently published "Experiential Marketing" by Shaz Smilansky is an excellent overview of how experiential is poised for explosive growth as one of the most effective arrows in the brand marketer’s quiver. The book is available at a number of outlets including Amazon. It is a concise read, yet packed with information useful to newcomers as well as those well-versed in experiential.
Smilansky is co-founder of the London-based experiential agency Blazinstar and has spent her career providing clients with interactive experiences. Her book outlines the strategies and tactics necessary to successfully create and execute an interactive campaign.
Chapters include information on setting objectives, determining strategies and bringing the message (and the brand) to life. In what I think are the most important chapters of the book, she details how to measure and evaluate results for the best possible ROI. It is generally agreed that experiential provides faster ROI than traditional forms of promotion, and Smilansky details the steps necessary to achieve this goal.
“Experiential Marketing” is a compendium of worthwhile information that should be found, dog-eared and well worn, on the shelves of many a brand marketer looking for a proven method to more fully connect brands with consumers. Smilansky is to be commended for this approachable guide.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Sep 18, 2009
Today's report is from Dave, Promotional Management Group driver and onsite wizard. Dave was recently on the road in Lebanon, NH. He was at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center finishing up a live demo of cardiac catheters and diabetes pumps for valued client Medtronic. Those who stopped by included doctors, interns, administrators and patients. As Dartmouth-Hitchcock is a renowned teaching school, one doctor even held a class inside the exhibit to discuss the cardiac catheter demo the students were about to participate in. Held in the same mobile environment as the doctor’s lecture, the mobile environment helped to solidify the students‘ understanding of the procedure with the added experiential element of the live demo. "It was a great stop" says Dave, "lots of traffic, interested people and good buzz. People who were newly exposed to the Medtronic brand had no idea of the different types of services they offer. This is the best part of the job for me. I get a chance to talk to the clients, and stops like this definitely show how excited people get when a 53' shiny billboard shows up next to the hospital.” Now it's off to Newport Beach, CA for another cardiac catheter live demo with a stop along the way at his favorite truck stop on I-80 in Walcott, Iowa. "Killer biscuits." says Dave.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Sep 11, 2009
Are you looking for a way to connect with prospects who are ready to buy your product? Would you like to see top line results more quickly than you see with traditional media? Recently we published an eBook that helps explain why mobile tours are an excellent spend of the marketing dollar: they provide positive ROI more quickly than traditional forms of media. Time and time again we have seen that clients who embark on a mobile tour quickly achieve positive results while they benefit from putting their products and services directly in front of interested prospects. In an increasingly cluttered marketplace, the ability to position your brand in a controlled environment that allows your prospects and customers to experience your brand to its fullest is key to success. To see how Promotional Management Group can help you Drive Your Brand Experience with our latest ebook, click here.