Brands are evolving the way they promote their products, taking the show on the road, allowing potential customers to experience their brand and product offerings in a unique way.
Rather than a display in a park or other public space, some companies are changing vehicles into mobile marketing opportunities, spreading the word about the brand as they travel from town to town. Anything from a 12-foot tall Hershey's Kiss to a 25-foot long peanut can be seen cruising down U.S. streets in the hopes of stirring attention.
Craftsmen Industries Inc. specializes in interactive marketing tools like promotional vehicles. Builds can take anywhere from a few weeks to half a year depending on how involved the model is.
"We're designing engineering and building in that timeframe," Mark Steele, president and CEO of the company told Newsweek. "So, we've described that we compete on the dimension of time, that speed is part of what we're selling, we claim that we can do what we do better and faster than our competitors."
Newsweek has compiled a list of some coolest promotional vehicles that can be found around the country. Take a look.
Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
Likely the most famous of the vehicles on this list is the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. The first Wienermobile was created in 1936 by Carl Mayer, the nephew of the Oscar Mayer founder. Today, there are six different Wienermobiles traveling the country at any given time. Some have been parked for good, like the 1952 version which is located in The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
A few versions of the Weinermobile have been built by Craftsmen Industries. Those are powered by a 5.2-liter Magnum V8 engine.
The Weinermobile has its travel schedule listed on its site and it is also available to be booked on its available dates.
Planters Nutmobile
One year before the Weinermobile hit the streets, a Planters peanut salesman converted a car into the first version of the Nutmobile. By 1999, Mr. Peanut's shell on wheels had grown into a 25-foot-long peanut-shaped vehicle. That year Planters was named the official snack food of NASCAR and as the Nutmobile traveled to more than 35 cities nationwide.
In 2014, the Nutmobile added two 26-foot long fiberglass mobiles to its fleet, making it a three-nut lineup. The Nutmobiles have smart technology, GPS navigational systems, and a customized interior.
The Nutmobile's touring schedule is available through the company's site.
L.L. Bean Bootmobile
The original L.L.Bean boot was designed to help people enjoy the outdoors.Today, 11- and 13-foot mobile versions of the boot to tour the country and pique interest in the experience.
The larger, original Bootmobile is built on a Ford F-250 frame with steel and fiberglass exterior while the second, smaller boot is built on a GMC Sierra 2500 HD chassis frame with aluminum and fiberglass construction.
If the boots were actually shoes, they would be a size 747 and 708, respectively.
The laces of the Bootmobiles are made of 12-strand braided mooring rope that's strong enough to withstand a tow of up to 106,000 pounds.
Together the Bootmobiles have covered over 40,000 miles and have appeared at hundreds of events in 10 states. The next location of either boot can be found on the company's site.
The Big Idaho Potato Truck
What began as a one-year campaign to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Commission transformed into nine Big Idaho Potato Truck cross-country journeys.
The Potato Truck quickly became a part of pop-culture and now travels the country promoting Idaho-grown potatoes and helping small charities in towns and cities with its A Big Help program.
The four-ton Potato Truck is made out of fiberglass and rides on a 72-foot long frame. According to the Idaho Potato Commission, it would take about 7,000 years to actually grow a potato that size.
The Big Idaho Potato trucks's tour schedule is available through an interactive map on the commission's website.
Big Taste Grill by Johnsonville
On the 50th anniversary of the Johnsonville sausage, the company developed the original Big Taste Grill. Also called "The World's Largest Touring Grill", this massive 65-foot long, 53,000-pound grill is capable of cooking more than 750 brats at a time, at a rate of 2,500 each hour.
The grill's 6,000-pound lid has an 8-foot handle that opens using a hydraulic system, giving access to 440,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs), which is needed to grill the half- ton of Johnsonville Brats held in the onboard fridge. The chefs have plenty of room to cook thanks to a 4-foot platform at the front of the grill.
The Big Taste Grill's tour schedule is available on the company's website.
Hershey's Kissmobile
Instead of making one giant version of its product, Hershey's constructed a vehicle with three 12 foot Kisses on Hershey's Kissmobile. Originally created in 1997, the three-Kissed car has over 250,000 miles on its odometer. It has distributed over 2 million samples of Hershey's Kisses along the way.
According to the Hershey Company, the Kissmobile was created to inspire an emotional connection with Hershey's consumers and raise donations and awareness of the Children's Miracle Network. In 2020, Hershey helped raise $6.2 million for the treatment of over 100,00 children.
Most days, the original Hershey Kissmobile Cruiser can be found on display at the entrance to the Antique Automotive Car Museum in Pennsylvania.
Westport Flea Market Bar and Grill Burger-mobile
As far as showstoppers go, the Westport Flea Market and Grill Burger-mobile stands out for the right reasons. The downtown Kansas City, Missouri restaurant's owner commissioned this unique ride from a vehicle artist he came across during a visit to New York City.
While taking a morning run through Central Park, a similar "veggie mobile" caught owner Joe Zwillenberg's eye. The Kansas City creation has been featured on The Food Network's Meat & Potatoes show, which stars Rahm Fama.
Nowadays, the truck stays parked but has gathered enough buzz that customers still come to see it.
Peeps Peepster
Although the Wienermobile is one of the most well-known of the food vehicles, the yellow Peepster is surely the first sign of spring. The marshmallow snack is largely associated with Easter and Spring. In 2012 the original Peepster completed its Spring Peeps Magical Moments Tour just in time for the hatching of two more Peepsters.
With a fleet of three, the Peepster was able to take its tour nationwide, handing out samples of the marshmallow bird. The Peepster took some time off shortly after.
After a brief hiatus, the Peepster returned in 2019 when the company partnered with Dunkin Donuts to create a signature drink. While promoting the drink the Peeps-mobile hit the road once again.
Angry Orchard Cider House
Once Angry Orchard built their treehouse in Walden, New York, it quickly became an attraction to tourists. The treehouse is nestled in a white pine tree on the orchard and doubles as a tasting room.
The hard cider brand, owned by the Boston Beer Company, wanted to create an on-the-road version of their popular treehouse to take to festivals around the country. Though it isn't able to be driven, this traveling trailer is worth mentioning because of its unique way of reaching audiences.
The massive display features an upper-tier clubhouse with wooden railing and staircase entry to the custom-carved 3D treehouse.
The full Angry Orchard courtyard with custom wooden benches and faux plants, monitors for promotional content and branded pub tables, awnings and graphics pack into a bumper pull trailer.
Monkey Shoulder Mixer
Aiming to reach a younger demographic, Monkey Shoulder Whiskey commissioned a party on wheels. The Scotland based company wanted to expand its communications beyond bartenders to reach customers while maintaining the brand's unique personality.
Craftsmen Industries took a cement mixer and transformed it into a giant, mobile cocktail maker, large speakers and a DJ helped attract customers to the mobile billboard. The Mixer toured 55 major U.S. cities from February to December 2018 serving 876 gallons of Monkey Shoulder Cocktails to over 112,000 customers.
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