Marketers Discover Trucks Can Deliver More Than Food

Heinz’s truck, offering free fries, began its trip in Pittsburgh, then visited New York. Other stops are Philadelphia and Dallas. For Heavenly, the idea to distribute snow cones from a truck was simple: “We’re going to give you a little bit of the mountain,” said Michael Chamberlin, the executive vice president and director of client services at BBDO San Francisco, which created the campaign for the resort.

That strategy — pairing a brand’s message with of all things, a food truck — has been increasingly employed in recent months, with major advertisers using trucks as rolling sandwich boards while advertising agencies issue the call to independent food truck operators to participate in brand-sponsored events.

Food trucks selling things like falafels and waffles have grown in popularity in cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and advertisers now see them as a vehicle for delivering their message directly to consumers.