Businesses wrap up the sell factor with mobile ads
Say goodbye to commercials, and say hello to sweeping images of Hooters, Dead Rockstar and Geek Squad vehicles as they pass on the streets.
Car wrapping is a new form of advertisement. Unlike its smaller counterpart, its purpose is not to hide a discreet item beneath its coat; instead, local businesses hope vehicle advertisements will drive the way to success.
Businesses’ main purpose is to “create a desire that leads to a purchase,” Deneen Gilmour, a mass communication instructor, said. Sometimes a business uses advertisement just to get its name out in the public.
“ I like to think of (car wrapping) as a moving billboard,” Gilmour said.
Some businesses are known for advertisements on a vehicle, such as delivery drivers and service vehicles. Yet once in awhile, an oddball business decides to drive its customers in by leading the way in a company car.
Hooters restaurant is often known for the summer-time clothing of the waitresses and the spicy hot wings, but a few vehicles have joined the “delightfully tacky, yet unrefined” club.
Joe LaVallie, Hooters manager, has watched the love for the restaurant’s vehicles grow during his time in the company.
“ We usually use the car for promotions,” he said.
Grant Hoovestal, Hooters owner, is a big fan of racing cars, LaVallie said. A large summer promotion for Hooters has been drag racing. The restaurant has its own drag racing car, which has competed a few times.
Many North Dakotans are NASCAR fans, LaVallie said. A car advertisement is more appealing in North Dakota because of this factor
“ It’s a moving vehicle so it’s all over the place,” he said. “The car has a great effect, especially for the kids.”
The Fargo Hooters has a Ford Thunderbird car, a drag racing car, a full-size bus and a Chevy Blazer.
Since the rise in electronic media, older forms of advertisement have taken a backseat to newer possibilities. Many businesses that use television for their advertisement imagine TiVo as the enemy, Gilmour said. When using a vehicle as a moving billboard, more people might notice the business.
“ We spend more time in our cars now,” Gilmour said. “We’re a mobile community.”
Dead Rockstar, a tattoo and piercing shop, has jumped on the bandwagon and driven into potential customer’s realm with a rough edge.
The Hummer vehicle definitely draws people’s attention when passing down the road, Doug Kesler, owner of Dead Rockstar, said. The car began as a project to sell custom-made Hummers. After the first Hummer was built, Kesler and his business partner decided to call it quits.
The car connoisseur decided to build his own Hummer and keep it for himself. Kesler finished building the Hummer in 2001 and has been driving it since.
“ It’s an excellent advertising tool,” he said.
Jenny Kesler, Doug Kesler’s daughter and part owner of Dead Rockstar, said the vehicle is a different kind of car, which can be picked out easily from other cars on the road.
“ He (Doug) figured we had it (the Hummer), we might as well use it for something,” Jenny Kesler said.
An oddball, practical business, like that of the Geek Squad, attempts to remind people they aren’t alone in their computer hell.
Geek Squad is a computer repair company for in-store customers and home customers with a branch at Best Buy.
Agents travel to fix customers’ computers in a stylish, Volkswagen beetle, Jimmy Gross, supervisor and deputy of counter intelligence, said.
The “Geekmobile” has a supercharged turbine engine, black and white paint design similar to a police car and new spyware intelligence everyday, according to the squad’s Web site.
The car definitely raises curiosity in people who don’t already know what Geek Squad does, Gross said.
“ When they see it driving down the road, they say ‘Hey, what the heck is that?’ and maybe call the number,” he said.
The company began in Minneapolis with a college student looking for extra cash, Gross said. Before driving down the street in a Volkswagon bug, Robert Stephens, the founder of Geek Squad, used to hop on his bike and drive to frustrated computer owners’ houses.
In 1998, the car was introduced to the Geek Squad family for a few different reasons. The company wanted a highly recognizable vehicle and a car that was efficient, Gross said.
“ It embodies the whole Geek Squad persona,” he said. “Plus they’re fun to drive.”