In the blog entry previous to this one, Alan discussed how to aid marketing efforts with attractive, creative vehicle wraps. This article also touches on vehicle modification, but in a considerably different light.
Recently, a client decided to pull a legendary prank on an employee. The employee was told his company car needed to be detailed prior to the impending end of its lease.
The car, instead, was turned into an ice cream cruiser, complete with decals, cool treats and even music. Music that couldn’t be turned off. That’s right, popular tunes like “It’s a Small World After All,” because the music player had been wired into the car’s fan motor, became ubiquitous staples of our good friend Colin’s commute.
If you’re so inclined, you may enjoy the video links at the end of this entry to fully appreciate the automotive transformation that took place.
At this point, you may be wondering how this anecdote relates to marketing or why you’re reading it on our blog. The answer to that question can be summed up with one key term: viral marketing.
We’ve all seen a video on the internet that was hilarious, violent, inappropriate and/or irresistible for any variety of other reasons. These videos spread (like viruses) through online media such as email, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and others. One person tells his friends, those friends tell their friends and the cycle continues. It should be noted that putting just any old video on YouTube won’t get the job done. The video has to be memorable, and preferably so over the top that people can’t get it out of their heads.
In the case of our client (whose stores are in the Kansas City market), the prank was featured with a video on the Kansas City Star’s website. A local TV news outlet then came calling, wanting to do its own piece about the ice cream mobile. The prank’s attention grabbing culminated with national play on CNN’s “Morning Express with Robin Meade.”
In today’s cluttered world, it’s become more important than ever to stand out from everyone else. Will videos of spectacular pranks replace traditional marketing methods like television, radio and print advertising? No. Will our client sell more furniture based on funny videos? Maybe. But the extra attention sure can’t hurt.
The Star—KansasCity.com Video
KCTV 5 News Article with Video
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