Ding! Ding! Cashing in on the current food truck craze while appealing to our sentimental summer memories, some of the most popular purveyors of frozen treats have revived the old school ice cream truck by using social media, online marketing and viral videos.
If ice cream were hip-hop then Good Humor would be the Grandmaster Flash of the dessert world. Good Humor has been the original gangster of on-the-go ice cream since 1920. The company is credited not only for coming up with the idea of the ice cream truck that we recognize today but also was the first company to put ice cream on a stick. So it is fitting that Good Humor is giving away thousands of dollars to lucky stick holders to celebrate its 90th year in business. Chasing the Good Humor Truck is the title of the Facebook page where users can share memories of Good Humor, vote for their favorite treats and get all the details on the 10,000 Winners Sweet Stakes. The contest encourages folks to woof down ice cream bars (like my personal fav, Strawberry Shortcake) in hopes of winning music downloads, t-shirts and $10,000 dollars. The sticks are stamped with “instant winner” messages along with codes to punch in online to so players can collect their goodies. Photos of the trucks from years gone by are on Good Humor’s website while new promotional Good Humor Trucks are making appearances at events all summer long.
Also having a b’day this summer is Dairy Queen’s Blizzard, which turns 25. DQ is knocking posers like the McFlurry in their proper place by pumping up the presence online and on the street. The Blizzard Mobile (or the BlizMo) is going across the U.S. handing out free goodies. Followers on Twitter can find out where the next stop on the tour is while the Facebook page has the deets on coupons and tips on how to win free Blizzards. Facebook also is being employed to RSVP to Blizzard birthday parties all over the states. The whole journey of the BlizMo is being captured on viral video and placed on DQ’s YouTube channel where viewers can see host Chad and other Dairy Queen friends on their soft-serve swirl of a road trip.
Both brands are wisely using social media to convince consumers to leave their houses and spend money. Sweet!
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