Mike Giovanone, owner of Concord Pools and Spas in Latham, N.Y., estimates he sells approximately 30 to 40 pools a year due to his mobile marketing strategy.
No, we’re not talking about sending offers to people on their smartphones. This is old-school mobile marketing. Whether traveling down the interstate or stationed at a shopping center parking lot, you can’t miss the fully branded truck towing the big blue pool advertising the company.
Several years ago, Giovanone placed a help-wanted ad seeking a part-time truck driver. Retired trucker John Matthews had no idea what he was getting into when he interviewed for the gig.
“He said, ‘What do I have to load and unload?’” Giovanone recalls. “I said ‘Nothing,’ and he said ‘Then what do I have to do?’”
Turned out the job would be pretty simple: Just tow a 9-by-14-foot Viking pool throughout the firm’s dealership territory. The half-ton pickup is fully wrapped in a decal evoking summertime splashing, and the pool features eye-catching graphics, as well.
“I showed him the trailer and his eyes lit,” Giovanone says. “He thought it was the coolest job ever.”
Almost six years and who-knows-how-many-miles later, Matthews is still spreading the swimming pool gospel throughout Albany County. He drives for 15 minutes, parks for 10, making his way north, east, south or west, depending on the day of the week. He covers as much as 75 miles in a day.
Matthews takes a pile of brochures with him, and on Saturdays, donuts and a big container of coffee for folks who want a closer look. “It’s not just seeing it from your car as you drive by,” Giovanone says. “There’s actual interaction with the driver of this truck … He’s a semi-salesman for us, as well.”
It even beacons motorists at night. A generator on the trailer powers a series of LED bulbs, lighting up the pool like a billboard.
If you happen to see it cruising down the freeway, don’t hesitate to honk. Matthews may even pull over and offer you a donut.
