Promo - March 2009 - (Page 16)

Patricia Odell To promote Starburst’s new GummiBursts on college campuses last fall, Stage and Catapult converted a street-legal vehicle into a garage on wheels . Students could play “Guitar Hero” with their friends—a real garage band. EXPERIENTIAL New Rules of the Road It’s time to step on the gas. Mobile marketing may be expensive, but there’s never been a better time to hit the road. That’s because, for the first time in about 10 years, road travel is expected to be way down, 30% or more, and that is translating into big bargains. Lower rates or added value can be had for vehicles, display assets and space at fairs, festivals, NASCAR events, malls, home and garden events and other venues as mobile marketing companies work to secure the business. “There’s a general softness in display space marketing. Agencies and brands need to take advantage of that and negotiate hard for the space,” says Brad Harris, vice president of strategy for Next Marketing. For example, the typical 53-foot display space at NASCAR that cost $40,000 last year can be had this year for $25,000 to $35,000, he says. That’s big savings. But there’s more. Here are 11 other ways for marketers and agencies to chip away at the costs of vehicle marketing: 1. Downsize Tractor trailers can be a huge expense. Try parking that big-rig and leasing one or more street-legal-size cars or trucks. Because the vehicles fit in any metered parking spot, they don’t require multiple parking spaces or special permits like the big trucks do. “A handful of quarters gets you a great parking space versus spending tens of thousands of dollars for a tractor-trailer spot,” says Sean Conciatore, vice president and creative director for Stage Active Brand Marketing. 2. Do the unexpected It’s not the size of the vehicle, it’s what you do with it that matters. A small vehicle can be tricked out to make a big impact. Remember the Smart Cars that Lindt converted to look like Easter bunnies and that used to buzz around cities sampling Lindt Gold Bunny chocolate candies around Easter time? 3. Try spot graphics Instead of developing a full-vehicle Tips for optimizing and economizing those high-cost vehicle tours W For more articles on experiential marketing, go to http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/ Newsletter Web RSS Webinar Conference Podcast wrap, use spot graphics on each side of the vehicle, the back and the doors. This can save big on the production, installation and removal of the wrap. The average wrap for a big-rig can cost $15,000 to $20,000, compared to $3,000 to $4,000 for spot graphics. “If you’re wrapping a vehicle, 80% is not your logo anyway, it’s color or design,” says Matthew Glass, CEO, Grand Central Marketing. “If the important thing is to put on some words or logos, you can do that without having the whole background designed with colors and graphics. Anyone can put the smaller decals on.” 4. Make sure there is a lift gate This may seem like a no-brainer, but it will help cut down the load-in and load-out time. A lift gate eliminates the need to rent a forklift or ramp, or to hire additional staff to handle heavy equipment. 5. Maximize your space For a small investment you can outfit the interior of the vehicle to best utilize the height and depth of the truck when packing. In some cases, careful packing can mean that you’ll need just one vehicle instead of two. Or it can allow you to save on shipping display materials. “There’s an art to packing your truck,” Glass says. 6. Don’t zigzag This might seem like Mobile Marketing 101, but brand marketers still tend to want to go where they want, when they want—even if doesn’t make economical sense. Routing needs to be carefully thought out to maximize the dollars spent and days on the road. Some agencies are partnering with retailers to make stops in between event sites to reduce site fees and make better use of the time on the road, says Lori Schweiger, vice president of business development at GMR Marketing. 7. Settle for No. 2 Don’t get stuck on one particular event. There are any number of events that can deliver the same audience, and some alternatives might make more sense from a logistical standpoint. Cutting back on time on the road 16 March 2009 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/ http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - March 2009

Promo - March 2009 Contents Editor's Note No Lumps Sampling by Surprise Legal Check Smartphone Shoppers Taxes and Twitter New Rules of the Road Commentary In Your Face Phones and Flash Social Studies The Agency Center Resource Center Peer-to-Peer Index of Advertisers

Promo - March 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.