“All That’s Trucking” blog by Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief
Last December, I blogged about the great image people who watched the uDrove Humanitarian Bowl were getting of trucking.
The Truckload Carriers Association ad, which ran in the first quarter, played up the “humanitarian” theme of the bowl by focusing on the role that many of TCA’s members play in Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization that oversees an annual weeklong campaign to honor fallen veterans.
The ad opens with music and a video of an older man walking up a driveway to the road, snow along the shoulders, wearing a yellow ribbon on his lapel. In slow motion, a truck crests the hill.
The man salutes the tractor-trailer as it drives by, as a warm voice narrates, “Once a year, truck drivers across North America volunteer to drive a load of honor, respect and integrity by delivering wreaths to the cemeteries of American veterans. Truckload Carriers Association is proud to support Wreaths Across America.”
Now TCA’s Communications Image Policy Committee is asking trucking companies to spread the word, so to speak, and sponsor customized versions of the ad locally.
Gary Salisbury, the association’s chairman and campaign’s founder, announced that his company, Fikes Truck Line, recently bought airtime on local television to run the Wreaths Across America commercial. He plans to run it for 90 days during the holiday season, and it wasn’t as expensive as you might think, running $2.20 to $3.30 for each time the ad airs.
As Dennis Dellinger, co-chairman of the communications and image committee, wrote in an e-mail, Gary asked the committee to “customize” the ad, so his neighbors would know that local people stand behind it. “This connection to the community can only enhance the strength of our message. . .and Fikes’ recruitment efforts,” he notes.
In fact, Dennis is following suit. His company, Cargo Transporters, will be running a customized commercial on local television, as well as in local movie theaters. You can see his company’s version of the ad here.
TCA members who have already made a donation to the TCA National Image Campaign can do the same. It’s a great idea.
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