WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Kum & Go Go Crew, part of the company's on-the-street marketing effort, are now out and about providing refreshment and more in the markets that the retailers serves, reported the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.
The Go Crew, launched over Memorial Day and lasting until mid-August, is part of Kum and Go's marketing and advertising strategy. "This year, we decided to take the publicity a step further with on-the-street marketing," Courtney Lansink, Kum & Go's team leader for the program, told the newspaper. "This type [image-nocss] of publicity has been great for other companies, like Red Bull, and as far as I know, we are the only convenience store using this type of advertising."
The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company hires college kids to drive the vehicles, which sport the Go Crew logo, said the report. "We wanted to hire college students as employees for two reasons," said Lansink. "One, since this is just a promotion for the summer the time frame works well, and two, it gives them experience for their fields of study including marketing, advertising, public relations and business."
Kum & Go created 16 teams throughout the Midwest and the South, with five teams located in Iowa. A team is comprised of six members who rotate shifts throughout the week.
A few of the products being handed out for free include water, energy drinks and coupons for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. As part of the Go Crew's rounds, the vehicles pit stop at state parks, beaches and other locations frequented by outdoor enthusiasts.
"We drive all over. We drive around parks throwing out free Frisbees and water," team member Dylan Walter told the newspaper. "The kids just eat it up. It's a lot of fun to interact with different people all day long.
Goeff Morris, another team member, added, "Yeah, it definitely beats an office job.
"I thought they were a radio station," one recipient of Go Team water told the paper, "but this is even better."
And another told the paper, "The free water is much appreciated, especially when there's not much for concession [at the beach]. Plus, who wants to part with their money anyway? It's definitely a win-win situation for all involved."
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