DRIVING IMPRESSIONS: BIG RIG WRAPS AND KELSEYS ORIGINAL ROADHOUSE TAKE THEIR ADS ON A ROAD TRIP
Kelseys Original Roadhouse is Canada’s Original Roadhouse with over 45 years of rich brand history, the Canadian franchise is known for its classic menu and ‘come as you are’ atmosphere. Kelseys was looking to build brand awareness in the communities they serve and found themselves facing a unique marketing challenge.
“Our restaurants are very rural-focused. We have 67 locations, but some are hard to reach. We do traditional ads on radio and television, but we are increasingly looking for bigger out-of-home experiential campaign opportunities. In rural markets it’s sometimes challenging to find those opportunities,” says Dina Ricco, Director of Marketing for Kelseys Original Roadhouse.
In 2022, Kelseys Original Roadhouse reached out to BIG RIG WRAPS for their GAME TIME WITH BUDS campaign. They wanted a cost-effective way to reach a large area outside of the GTA to support their Superbowl contest and partnership with Budweiser and the NFL.
12 Weeks
10 Trucks
9 key markets
30M Impressions
The campaign wrapped 53ft transport trucks with routes to London, St. Catharines, Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville, Milton, Mississauga, and Brampton for a 12-week campaign, increasing Kelseys’ market reach with just a one-time creative and installation cost.
ADVERTISING THAT DELIVERS
In 2023, recognizing that post-pandemic Canadians were choosing to travel more within Canada, Dina, and her team launched the ‘Dip Dip Hooray’ campaign that featured a 3D image of a pita that looked like it was pulling their famous four-cheese spinach dip off the edge of the billboard. The eye-catching billboards were only one part of the creative campaign to attract ‘Roadtrippers’.
“The billboard campaign was very impactful, but Kelseys needed a number of them in order to run the campaign across all communities, and we were having trouble finding enough boards in all of our markets,” she explains.
Ricco’s solution came when she was contacted by Angela Baltkois, the CEO and Founder of Big Rig Wraps, an innovative start-up specializing in creating and installing truck and vehicle wraps on commercial fleets.
Baltkois explains what prompted her initial outreach to Ricco, “Being an entrepreneur in small-town Ontario, I can relate to the challenges of reaching customers that are spread out over a large area. I really admired the creativity of Dina’s campaigns, and thought that I could help her achieve brand awareness in a way that made sense. Especially fitting for a brand that popularized the roadhouse.”
Angela reached out to me. She had a lot of brand love, and was very knowledgeable about our marketing campaigns. Her idea was cost-effective, and would allow us to hit multiple markets in outlying communities with just one ad. The trucks run year-round, and we can customize the locations where the ads appear. We love working with Angela because she gives us the flexibility of being able to change the creative easily to keep pace with changing marketing campaigns, and literally drive impressions.
For their first campaign, Baltkois worked with Ricco to wrap a 53 ft truck and two 26ft trucks with a vibrant image of Kelseys recognizable ‘HELLO’ sign, (one hangs above the entrance of every Kelseys restaurant), and of course, an image of their mouth-watering, signature four-cheese spinach dip.
On the launch of this campaign, we asked people to post pictures of the trucks for a chance to win $25 gift cards. The campaign has been running for a year, and we noted both an increase in customer engagement with those rural areas where the trucks were traveling, but also saw an increase in sales at the restaurants along the truck route.
TRUCK 1
26ft truck – 18 cities with routes from Niagara Falls to Barrie. Done like a fuel gauge starting at July 2023 until December 2024 indicating 18,547,420 views.
TRUCK 2
53ft Truck – Route: Bowmanville, Brampton, Cambridge, Concord, Etobicoke, Kanata, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, North York, Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Rexdale, Tecumseh, Tillsonburg, Whitby. Done like a fuel gauge starting at July 2023 until December 2024 indicating 15,361,187 views.
TRUCK 3
26ft Truck – Route: Ajax, Belleville, Brampton, Clarington, Cobourg, Cramahe, Hamilton, Highlands East, London, Markham, Melancthon, Milton, Mississauga, Mulmur, Oakville, Oshawa, Peterborough, Pickering, Puslinch, Scugog,Seguin Township, Shelburne, St Catharines, Toronto, Trent Lakes, Uxbridge, Vaughan, Whitby, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Caledon, Georgetown, Richmond Hill, Brantford, Cavan-Monaghan, Newmarket, Beamsville, Port Colborne, Lincoln, Quinte West, Gravenhurst. Done like a fuel gauge starting at July 2023 until December 2024 indicating 12,669,069 views.
TAKE YOUR CAMPAIGN ON A ROAD TRIP
Baltkois explains what makes transport truck advertising so effective. “Our wrapped vehicles are transformed into mobile billboards that offer unparalleled visibility. Think about the thousands of people that will see these trucks on the roadways! This consistent exposure builds brand awareness and recognition for our clients.”
She adds, “we have the advantage of people not being able to swipe, click away, or delete these ads. Having said that though, I think where we excel is in our ability to work closely with our clients to customize ads that people want to engage with, and really work to find the right type of vehicle, and route, that will make a lasting impression.”
The market size of the billboard and outdoor advertising industry in Canada expected to grow to $1.3 billion in 2025*, reach your customers on the road where the engagement is high and where ads can’t be swiped away or deleted. BIG RIG WRAPS is your one shop truck stop for the perfect campaign.
*Source: IBIS Billboard & Outdoor Advertising in Canada industry analysis (2024)
Credits to: Micol Marotti, Media Monkey Productions
Big Rig Wraps specializes in transforming ordinary vehicles into powerful brand ambassadors. Our brand strategists and graphic designers have the know-how to attract more eyeballs to products, companies, and causes, and we draw on this expertise to create vehicle wraps that align with brands and get attention! Please visit www.bigrigwraps.ca to learn more about how we can help you.
