RV Sweepstakes Elevate Go RVing’s Exposure

Go RVing’s first-ever national RV giveaways, conducted in partnership with Great American Country Network (GAC) and Outdoor Channel this spring, generated significant consumer interest while also providing impressive results for the national advertising campaign.

According to a press release, the two sweepstakes combined to draw more than 811,000 entries and yielded 46,329 leads for the Go RVing effort from entrants who opted into receiving information from participating Go RVing dealers, manufacturers and campgrounds.

“The Ultimate Country Music RV Giveaway” sweepstakes with GAC offered entrants the chance to win a 2012 Lance Camper Ultralight 1685 travel trailer as the grand prize along with two VIP tickets and backstage access to the CMA Festival in Nashville in June. Running from March 1-April 16, it drew 646,714 entrants, of which 122,376 were unique entries, and generated 23,156 opt-in leads. According to GAC, these results represent “a huge success for a custom sweepstakes.”

As part of the GAC partnership, two 60-second vignettes featuring country music artist Chuck Wicks enjoying RV getaways in the prize model Lance travel trailer aired on GAC. Go RVing also has a branded “On-The-Road-Guide to Summer Hot Spots” special section in the June People Country magazine (available on newsstand now). Featuring a country-music theme, the six-page custom section promoted the sweepstakes and RV travel. Details about the sweepstakes, Go RVing interactive banner ads, information on RVing, and the Chuck Wicks vignettes were featured on GACTV.com.

Go RVing’s “Spring Fever” sweepstakes with the Outdoor Channel attracted 165,000 total entrants, of which 31,217 were unique entries, and accounted for 23,173 opt-in leads. This contest ran through April and featured a Columbia Northwest 2012 Somerset OR12SD off-road folding camping trailer as the grand prize.

The promotion included four custom RVing vignettes featuring Outdoor Channel talent Pat Reeve and Nicole Jones, host of the hunting show Driven, and Mark Zona, host of Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show. Outdoor Channel also promoted the sweepstakes and the benefits of RV travel to audiences through outdoorchannel.com, their social media outlets, and targeted emails.

“We were very pleased with the success of our first national RV giveaway sweepstakes,” said RVIA Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising James Ashurst. “These two promotions were popular with the public and helped spread our key messages about RVing with receptive audiences. The amount of leads created by the sweepstakes was particularly encouraging.”

Lance Camper Manufacturing Corp. and Columbia Northwest Inc./Aliner were selected to provide the grand prize RVs through a lottery in January of RVIA members who offered a unit for the two sweepstakes.

 

Go RVing’s MLB Network Promo Hits the Road

The Go RVing and MLB Network “Home and Away Tour” is on the road with a specially-wrapped Jayco Inc. motorhome serving as a touring studio broadcasting features during the MLB Network Game of the Week from ballparks across the nation, according to a press release.

Through this special promotion, negotiated as a value-added element to Go RVing’s 2012 media buy with MLB Network, there will be on-air reports and interviews with players conducted both inside and outside the motorhome over the next two months on the popular On Deck Circle, the networks signature show featuring major league baseball highlights and analysis.

There will also be teasers and promotional mentions of Go RVing and the “Home and Away Tour” on The Run Down and the MLB Network Game of the Week. Video highlights showing the exposure being generated by the promotion can be seen by clicking here.

The “Home and Away Tour” motorhome is a Jayco Seneca 37RB Class C motorhome, which the company provided in response to an RVIA-member lottery invitation. It is wrapped with visuals from the new Go RVing “Away” national advertising campaign as well as logos for Go RVing.com, MLB Network and Jayco. The tour kicked off earlier this month with the motorhome appearing at the Florida Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies on April 12 and at the Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox on April 17.

Go RVing’s ‘Away’ Ads Boosting Website Traffic

According to a press release, from Jan. 1 through April 9, total web visits were up 13% from 284,292 in 2011 to 321,342 in 2012 while page views were up 24%, rising to nearly 2 million this year from 1.6 million in 2011. The number of unique visitors has also jumped from 241,761 in 2011 to 289,394 in 2012, a 20% rise.

Go RVing’s “AWAY” campaign drives consumers to the all-new GoRVing.com website, which is designed to be a comprehensive information source to guide prospective buyers through the purchase process and travel experience. The website features new interactive tools to help visitors explore RVs, choose the best type for them, compare typical family vacation costs, watch new videos featuring real RVers and sign up for more information from participating Go RVing dealers, manufacturers, show promoters and campgrounds. Consumers who opt in to be contacted are posted on the Go RVing leads database in the industry-only area of the site, ranked by likelihood to buy.

The Go RVing “AWAY” effort is the first all-new industry advertising campaign since 2005. Built upon the evocative concept of “AWAY,” the new ads return to the emotion-driven family focus of past campaigns, along with continued emphasis on the affordability and accessibility of RV ownership for multigenerational families.

 

 

Entries are Pouring in for Go RVing’s Giveaways

Go RVing’s first-ever national RV giveaways are in full-swing with “consumer interest running high” in the two sweepstakes conducted in partnership with Great American Country Network and the Outdoor Channel.

“We were very excited to add these national sweepstakes to the Go RVing campaign this year,” said Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising James Ashurst in a press release. “They bring tremendous added value to our advertising efforts and help spread our messages with receptive audiences.”

Running through April 16, “The Ultimate Country Music RV Giveaway” sweepstakes with Great American Country (GAC) offers entrants the chance to win a 2012 Ultralight 1685 travel trailer from Lance Camper Mfg. Corp. as the grand prize along with two VIP tickets and backstage access to the CMA Festival in Nashville in June. To date, over 400,000 entries have been received.

As part of the partnership, two 60-second vignettes featuring country music artist Chuck Wicks enjoying RV getaways in the Lance travel trailer are airing on GAC. Go RVing also has a branded “On-The-Road-Guide to Summer Hot Spots” special section in the June People Country magazine (available on newsstand now). Featuring a country-music theme, the six-page custom section promotes RV travel and the sweepstakes. Visitors to GACTV.com will also see Go RVing interactive banner ads, information on RVing, the Chuck Wicks vignettes and details about the sweepstakes.

Go RVing’s “Spring Fever” sweepstakes with the Outdoor Channel features a Columbia Northwest Inc./Aliner 2012 Somerset OR12SD off-road folding camping trailer as the grand prize. In just the first week of the promotion, 13,000 entries have been received. This sweepstakes runs April 1-30.

Included in the promotion are four custom vignettes featuring Outdoor Channel talent Pat Reeve and Nicole Jones, host of the hunting show Driven, and Mark Zona, host of Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show. Outdoor Channel will also promote the sweepstakes and the benefits of RV travel to audiences through outdoorchannel.com, their social media outlets, and targeted emails.

Go RVing sweepstakes entrants are encouraged to opt-in for information from participating Go RVing dealers, manufacturers and campgrounds.

Lance Campers and Columbia Northwest were selected to provide the grand prize RVs through a lottery in January of RVIA members who offered a unit for the two sweepstakes.

Go RVing Tie-in Program Aids Local Advertising

In addition to all-new creative materials promoting RV ownership at the national level, Go RVing has created new resources for local RV businesses to capitalize on the “AWAY” campaign through the Go RVing Industry Tie-In Program.

According to a press release, the program offers RV dealers, show promoters, campground owners and their agenciesonline access to campaign collateral, tools and consumer leads to use in incorporating the national advertising messages into their local marketing efforts.

Key elements of the program include:

• Go RVing’s Leads-Plus Program – Leads are ranked according to the consumer’s likelihood of purchasing – highly likely, moderately, likely or interested – using a sophisticated mathematical model to analyze confidential credit bureau data.

• Go RVing Image Library – All-new high-resolution images from Go RVing photo shoots of consumers enjoying a variety of RV products are now available for download in the Industry Only section of GoRVing.com. These images are ideal for use in advertising, websites and other promotional materials.

• Go RVing B-Roll – Footage shot during the Go RVing “AWAY” television production shoots will be available in April to download from the GoRVing.com Industry Only section for use in producing local television commercials. The nine-minute video features footage of motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth-wheel travel trailers and truck campers driving along scenic roads. In addition to the new download option, high-definition HDCAM tapes and standard definition BETA tapes of the footage are also available.

• Taggable “AWAY” TV Spots – The three “AWAY” 30-second television spots will also be available to download and tag with company-specific information in the final five seconds of the commercial.

• Go RVing Posters – Participants in the Go RVing Industry Tie-In Program will receive a set of new posters featuring the “AWAY” theme. These are perfect for displaying in a dealership or at special events or shows.

RV dealers interested in learning more or registering for the Go RVing Industry Tie-In program should contact Chuck Boyd at RVDA at (703) 591-7130, ext. 113 or cboyd@rvda.org. The program cost for dealers is $225. Campground operators should contact ARVC’s Barb Youmans at (303) 681-0401 or byoumans@arvc.org for registration and pricing information for the program. Other industry members can contact RVIA’s Margie Spence at (703) 620-6003, ext. 357 or mspence@rvia.org for more information.

 

RVIA Offers PR, Ad Highlights at Annual Meeting

During RVIA’s March 8 Annual Membership Meeting, Public Relations Committee Chairman B.J. Thompson and Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising James Ashurst provided attendees with an update on the industry’s public relations and marketing activities.

According to a press release, the presentation kicked off with the new “AWAY” campaign creative showcasing the industry’s return to the emotion-driven focus on family fun, affordability and flexibility of RV travel.

Ashurst offered an overview of the 2012 strategic media plan, detailing how the $10.3 million advertising spend for 2012 features a strong mix of proven media and several expanded and new media partnerships.

“The advertising market is changing, and so are the days of the traditional ad buy,” he said. “Our strategic focus for 2012 is to identify advertising partnerships that allow for greater brand extensions than we’ve done in the past – opportunities that will stretch our ad dollars, add value and encourage additional partnerships in the future with like-minded brands.”

Thompson led the public relations discussion by updating attendees on RVIA’s move to bring more of the PR function in-house by using consultants that have been contracted to supplement internal efforts. He touched on several recent successes, including more than 100 newspapers picking up an Associated Press story on the state of the industry, as well as dozens of local print stories touting the early RV consumer show season.

“RVs continued to receive positive media coverage during the winter months, and our work with earned media throughout the year will continue to deliver the message that RVs provide consumers with the opportunity to pursue their passions, build connections through shared adventures, and that there is an RV that fits their needs and budget,” Thompson said.

Thompson showcased several videos highlighting recent consumer media features including national broadcast coverage on Fox&Friends and Rachael Ray, as well as footage from HGTV’s RV 2012, and HGTV’s most popular series House Hunters – a segment featuring a couple looking to settle down in an RV. RVIA worked closely with producers on each of these segments, and have laid the groundwork for additional coverage moving forward.

Thompson concluded, “PR continues to be a driving force behind our ongoing promotional efforts. The PR team and our media consultants are working on numerous projects, and we are extremely confident that despite the ever-present uncertainty in the economy, 2012 will be a banner year in terms of positive media coverage for RVs.”

On the “AWAY” campaign front, Ashurst shared videos from Go RVing’s first-ever national RV giveaways with the Great American Country (GAC) and Outdoor Channel cable networks. The GAC partnership is a multi-platform execution that features multiple vignettes starring country music artist Chuck Wicks, a six-page special section in People Country magazine, and culminates with the grand prize of a 2012 Lance Ultralight travel trailer. The Outdoor Channel, which will air four Go RVing vignettes featuring the network’s popular hunting and fishing hosts, is offering a 2012 Somerset off-road folding camping trailer from Columbia Northwest as the grand prize in the network’s “Spring Fever” promotion.

Ashurst touched on several other promotions with top media brands including National Geographic Channel and an expanded partnership with Speed Channel that features popular host Rutledge Wood and his family traveling in a type A motorhome provided by Monaco in a custom on-air segment

Additionally, Ashurst highlighted how Go RVing is staying aggressive in the sports category, with a more robust execution with MLB Network. The 2012 partnership, dubbed the “Home and Away Tour”, includes an eight-market stadium tour featuring a custom-wrapped motorhome from Jayco that allows for mobile studio interviews with players and managers in and around the RV. An exciting new partnership has been forged with NFL Network, providing Go RVing a highly visible presence during the network’s popular Game Day Morning. The collaboration will feature editorial and advertising extensions in the league’s new monthly, NFL Magazine.

Additionally, Go RVing has struck a deal with CBS Sports Network that will include RV-specific content as part of packages celebrating unique college football tailgating traditions.

Go RVing Sweepstakes Debuts on GAC Network

The first of Go RVing’s two national RV sweepstakes kicked off Thursday (March 1) when the Great American Country Network (GAC) launches “The Ultimate Country Music RV Giveaway.”

The sweepstakes runs through April 16 with the grand prize winner being awarded a 2012 Lance ultra-light 1685 travel trailer along with two VIP tickets and backstage access to the Country Music Association (CMA) Festival in Nashville this June. Lance Camper was selected in a lottery of RVIA members to provide the vehicle as the sweepstakes prize.

GACTV.com is promoting the sweepstakes as well as featuring Go RVing interactive banner ads and information about RVing, including favorite Roadworthy Recipes. GACTV will be tweeting about the sweepstakes and running live feeds of the Go RVing Twitter posts on GACTV.com.

“The Ultimate Country Music RV Giveaway” is a key element of Go RVing’s integrated media buy on GAC. In addition to Go RVing commercials now airing on GAC music and lifestyle programming, GAC and Go RVing teamed to produce two 60-second RV travel vignettes featuring country recording artist Chuck Wicks using a Lance travel trailer. In one, Wicks enjoys a weekend getaway with friends while he takes a hunting trip with his father in the other. The vignettes will begin airing March 19 on GAC.

Go RVing will also have a branded On-The-Road-Guide to Summer Hot Spots special section in the June People Country magazine, available on newsstands nationwide. With a country music theme, the six-page custom section will promote RV travel.

MLB ‘Home and Away Tour’ to Feature Jayco RV

Go RVing and MLB Network have partnered to present on-air baseball reports this spring from a motorhome from Jayco Inc., which will travel to ballparks around the nation to cover the MLB Game of the Week.

According to a press release, a Class C Seneca 37RB was offered by Jayco in response to a Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) member lottery invitation. The motorhome will be used as the touring studio for a series of eight to 10 two-minute interviews to be conducted inside and outside the RV from April through June. The segments will air during On-Deck Circle, MLB Network’s signature show featuring major league baseball highlights and analysis.

The “Home and Away Tour” motorhome will be wrapped with visuals from the new Go RVing “AWAY” campaign as well as logos for GoRVing.com, MLB Network and Jayco.

“The sports category has been successful for Go RVing over the years, and this expanded promotion with MLB Network provides an interactive, hands-on RV experience for consumers centered around our national pasttime,” said RVIA Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising James Ashurst.

 

Go RVing’s New ‘Away’ Campaign Hits Airwaves

Go RVing’s “Find your AWAY” ads have hit the marketplace, setting the stage for a reenergized effort to grow and expand the RV market with the first all-new RV industry advertising campaign since 2005.

Go RVing’s new TV spots began airing Feb. 21 on the SPEED Channel, capturing big SPEED audiences on programming surrounding the Daytona 500 and driving 75% more visitors to GoRVing.com than last year’s SPEED launch. Go RVing commercials will continue to run through November on SPEED, complemented by an original RV travel vignette featuring on-air personality Rutledge Wood.

Built upon the evocative concept, “Away,” the new ads reflect consumer research demonstrating that people buy RVs to get away with those who matter most and do what they love to do, more often and more affordably.

The emotion-driven campaign includes three 30-second TV spots featuring the return of Tom Selleck as voiceover talent. Four new print ads and four web banner ads were also produced by The Richards Group, under the guidance of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) advertising staff and the Go RVing Coalition. Click here to see the new Go RVing “AWAY” creative.

This year, Go RVing ads and custom RV vignettes will also be seen on Great American Country Network (GAC), National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Wild, Outdoor Channel, Cooking Channel, MLB Network, NFL Network and CBS Sports. Special partnerships with these networks will add value to Go RVing’s $4.8 million television investment for 2012.

The TV plan also includes direct response advertising on approximately 40 other networks from March through September. Among these networks are Travel Channel, Discovery, TBS, TLC, USA, HGTV and ABC Family Channel, all of which have a good record of running Go RVing commercials at optimum times of day and delivering a strong leads response.

Concurrently with the rollout of the television ads, new banner ads began running on dozens of websites and search engines through Go RVing’s $2.6 million Internet buy. Consumers are able to link directly to GoRVing.com from the ads, running on leads-generating powerhouses like Google, Yahoo, Bing and Facebook through September.

The $2.7 million print buy for 2012 includes 20 magazines offering a good editorial environment and targeted audience for the ads, including: Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping, National Geographic Traveler, Family Circle, Reader’s Digest, People Country, Guideposts, Budget Travel, and more. Ads began to hit the newsstand in February and continue through October.

The “AWAY” campaign drives consumers to an entirely new www.GoRVing.com website, designed to be a comprehensive information source to guide prospective buyers through the purchase process and travel experience. On the website are new interactive tools to help visitors explore RVs, choose the best type for them, compare typical family vacation costs, watch new videos featuring real RVers, and sign up for more information from participating Go RVing dealers, manufacturers, show promoters and campgrounds. Consumers who opt in to be contacted will be posted on the Go RVing leads database in the industry-only area of the site, ranked by likelihood to buy.

For Go RVing tie-in program participants, a new image library, taggable TV spots, stock footage for local ads, looping video and AWAY ad posters are coming in mid-March. For information on how to sign up and order new AWAY collateral, contact Margie Spence, RVIA advertising manager, mspence@rvia.org.

“The industry’s response to the new AWAY campaign when it was unveiled at RVIA’s Louisville show last December was tremendous,” said Go RVing Coalition co-chairman Bob Olson. “We are confident that consumers will also respond with enthusiasm, driving traffic to our new website and to dealers.”

 

Go RVing ‘Away’ Ads, Website Ready to Launch

Go RVing’s new “AWAY” television commercials will air for the first time next week on the SPEED Channel, during the network’s lead-up to the Daytona 500, and on Great American Country (GAC).

According to a press release, the Go RVing TV spots are scheduled to debut on Feb. 21 during SPEED’s NASCAR Race Hub, which airs between 6-7 p.m. Eastern. Throughout the week, spots will continue to air on a variety of racing programs, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice, Gatorade Duels, NASCAR Victory Lane and Trackside.

On Feb. 26, the day of the Daytona 500, Go RVing commercials will run on NASCAR Raceday, between 9 a.m. and noon Eastern, and during the post-Daytona 500 weekend racing schedule.

Also debuting next week is a new custom RV vignette featuring SPEED racing analyst Rutledge Wood and his family. This mini-travel feature can be seen for the first time Feb. 23 on NASCAR Raceday Duels (1 p.m. Eastern), and will continue to air through November.

Next week on Great American Country (a Scripps cable network), Go RVing ads will run a total of 65 times during lifestyle and music programs throughout the day, including GAC Wakeup Call, Xtreme Bulls, Paula’s Home Cooking and Top 50 Videos of the 2000s.

The commercials and vignettes will drive viewers to the new GoRVing.com, relaunched with improved functionality and more interactive tools to build consumer interest and leads. Visitors will be able to explore all RV types, compare typical family vacation costs, watch new videos featuring real RVers, search for dealers, manufacturers, suppliers, retail shows and campgrounds, and sign up to receive more information from Go RVing and its industry partners. Completely redesigned to mirror the new “AWAY” campaign creative, the website serves as the landing spot for all advertising and public relations initiatives.

Starting Feb. 27, the three new “Find your AWAY” TV commercials will continue to roll out along with custom Go RVing programming on MLB Network, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Wild, Outdoor Channel and the Cooking Channel. Beginning in March, the campaign will be running on over 40 cable networks in total.

The March–October 2012 print plan includes 20 popular magazine titles across a variety of new and proven genres. Watch for upcoming ads in Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Guideposts, Ladies Home Journal, People Country and Woman’s Day. Scannable bar codes in the ads will take smartphone users directly to a new mobile version of GoRVing.com.

New “AWAY” web banner ads begin running next week on dozens of Internet sites. Go RVing’s online presence will continue to build through September as the ads appear on search engines including Google and Bing, along with highly visited sites including Facebook.

“The industry responded very favorably to the new, emotion-driven ‘AWAY’ creative when it debuted in Louisville last December, and we’re hoping an equally strong consumer response will help boost RV awareness and demand,” said RVIA Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising James Ashurst.

The Go RVing ads will be seen by approximately 1.5 billion adults in the campaign’s core family target audience over the course of 2012.

 

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