What Can the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Teach Us About Marketing?

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What Can the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Teach Us About Marketing?

In 2021, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile came to Owensboro, Kentucky, for a trade show at the Owensboro Convention Center.

Of course, I got a picture with it.

But think about this.

Why did I take the picture?

Why do people stop when they see the Wienermobile?

Why are we still talking about a giant hot dog on wheels more than 80 years after Oscar Mayer first put one on the road?

Because people notice it.

That's the first job of marketing.

Get noticed.

You can have a great product, a great event or a great community. But if nobody notices, how are you going to drive business?

In destination marketing, we're competing every day for visitors, conventions, sporting events and attention.

So here's the question I keep coming back to:

Are we giving people something worth talking about?

Not another ad that looks like everybody else's.

Something they'll remember. Something they'll share. Something that makes them curious enough to take the next step.

The Wienermobile didn't come to Owensboro to teach a marketing lesson.

But maybe it did.

What are you doing that makes people stop and look?

About Mark Calitri

Mark Calitri is a destination marketing executive, speaker and author focused on performance, teamwork and accountability. As President & CEO of Visit Owensboro, he works to grow tourism, conventions, sports and events that drive visitation and economic impact in Owensboro, Kentucky.

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