How Rick and Morty are Taking on the Road
While the "marketing" aspect of experiential marketing almost necessarily involves trying to sell a product, service, or idea to new people, it isn't always the only goal. Sometimes, events are held to reward current loyal fans – or as it may be put, "spread the love" to these people. This is the case with Adult Swim's Rickmobile, which is a traveling pop-up retail shop making stops in several cities and towns this summer. Adult Swim is making a point of hitting cities that are often overlooked by marketers, such as Cleveland, Santa Fe, and San Antonio as well as some of the more predictable places.
The Rickmobile is patterned after the character Rick in the series Rick and Morty, complete with a painted Styrofoam-and-fiberglass Rick on one end. From the side, the vehicle opens to display plenty of Rick and Morty merchandise. This gives fans a chance to stock up, and the eye-catching nature of the vehicle ensures that even people who have never seen the show will be curious enough to come and find out what the display is about.
In keeping with the fun and youthful nature of the show, the Rickmobile's stops have been chosen for their similarly fun nature. Comic shops and conventions and arcades are on the list. For older fans, the Rickmobile will stop at taverns, bars, and other such "social spaces." By combining the event types while sticking to ones that are associated with fun, the show will be able to reach people of all ages without diluting its messaging.
According to Adult Swim's Jim Babcock, its vice president of consumer marketing, the intent was to create moments akin to seeing the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for the first time. He characterized it as "unforgettable," and the Rickmobile is going for the same effect. Adult Swim also wants the scene to be hilarious, and it posed its giant Rick so it would surely get a laugh. Rick is on his hands and knees as seen from the side, and stares slightly downward from the back of the truck. Those following it on the freeway therefore get to look right at the mad professor's giant eyes as he stares down through their windshields. It's sure to give anyone who ends up behind the vehicle plenty to talk about with everyone they know.
Since this tour is already in progress, preliminary results are coming in. By the time it made 12 stops, it registered 5,000 transactions and got 15,000 people to engage with the Rickmobile. It also caused people to tweet about it 15,000 times and post about it on Instagram 7,500 times. This caused messages about it to be seen over 10 million times. Such a resounding success is sure to bring more viewers to the Rick and Morty show!
You don't need to custom-make an expensive truck or tour across the country to reach people with your experiential marketing event. For a less-extravagant option, try renting a venue in a big city. Here in Miami, try Soho Studios. We can configure up to 70,000 feet of indoor space to suit your needs or provide one or both of our outdoor pavilions for events out in the open.
