Tours

Mobile marketers are going green as quickly as they can retrofitting and updating their tours to reduce carbon footprints and utilize biodiesel and hybrid fuel technologies. But what about the mobile vehicles that still—for now anyway—use good old gasoline to criss-cross the country? UPS made news last year when it revealed that the brand’s delivery trucks only make right turns on their routes saving the company $600 million every year. If nixing left turns can save millions we wondered what other tricks do mobile marketers have up their sleeves?

To get consumers psyched about its Summer Rocks Festival Tour Dell recently blanketed popular recreational spots across the country with a giant beach towel. Made up of individual soft bamboo material towels the 35-by-60-foot giant towel was reminiscent of a checkerboard with hundreds of colors.

To create buzz for its Sync technology offered in Ford Lincoln and Mercury vehicles Ford is connecting with consumers in 28 cities at state fairs festivals and other family events through next month. The tour is broken up into several challenges to target consumers of all ages and teach them about the product. The Sync challenges include Sync That Tune the Sync Tech Challenge and Sync Count Challenge.

Starburst this month is concluding a national tour designed to drive trial and purchases of its new Gummiburst liquid-filled gummies. The tour which debuted this fall and ends on Dec. 11 hit almost 30 college campuses across the country sampling gummies and engaging students with the chance to hop on stage and play in a virtual garage band—including drums guitar and bass—via a Microsoft Xbox console and four large plasma screens.

Sure a 53-foot tractor-trailer makes a big splash but it also makes a big old dent in your budget. There are always going to be times where a 53-footer makes the most sense but for some programs—such as a sampling tour—a smaller more maneuverable vehicle might be a better fit all around.
EM takes a look at four event programs that made the most out of smaller vehicles.

DISNEY