On the road with MoBEs
Friday, October 03, 2008
The Nutrilite and Artistry Mobile Brand Experiences (MoBEs) are going to be a big hit. It will bring the Artistry and Nutrilite messages to consumers from coast to coast, both as a rolling billboard and as a brand experience at various events we sponsor, including Tina Turner Live in Concert through the middle of December. It will be an even bigger hit with IBOs who will be checking them out wherever they go and bringing their prospects. Why do I think this? OK. Here goes.
First: Before the bus and trailer launched even I had the opportunity to stroll through them with an IBO familiar with our existing experiences -- The Nutrilite Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park, Calif., and the Artistry Beauty Institute in Grand Rapids, Mich. Her first words when strolling onto the trailer was, "Wow, this is just like the COH." I told her "Thank you, that's what it's modeled after." SO, for IBOs who would like to go to COH but don't have the opportunity to travel to California to do so, just wait, it's probably coming near you in the form of the Nutrilite mobile experience.
Second: During the employee open house here at Amway Global, people who know and love our brands were impressed. It's hard to impress the people who do this every day. A senior person in the Sales Division predicted that it will be hard to keep up with the demand from IBOs for these experiences. I hope so! Of course, as we finalize the 2009 tour with various sponsorships (the places the MoBEs will go), we will know more about IBOs' "windows of opportunity" to make requests for these experiences. Also, there will be times where the vehicles will need to be down for maintenance and repairs (not to mention the tour staff!). Bob Tully, who normally does COH tours in Buena Park and is always at Achievers and other IBO events to talk Nutrilite, is traveling with the Nutrilite experience this fall. He said that the Nutrilite experience provides some displays that the COH hopes to evolve to during its next makeover. Wow!
Bob Tully, Your Nutrilite Mobile Experience Host
Third: In Kansas City two nights ago, some 15,000 or so concertgoers streamed past these experiences on their way into the Sprint Center. Some stopped by to talk about our brands, to check out their skin age at the Artistry Kiosks, or to tour the Nutrilite experience. After all, what's so exciting about standing in line for an hour?! Might as well get a touch up outside the bus or learn more about your own personal wellness inside the truck.
Fourth: One of the tour staff driving a support vehicle reported that people slow down to check out the bus and trailer while on the road. Sometimes they point and chat inside their cars. Sometimes they take pictures. To this day, when one of the Amway Global TV ads appears it makes me look up and watch all over again. I can only imagine the bigger jolt it is for people in our business to see the vehicles unexpectedly when driving on the highway. And they are very impressive, visually.
Fifth: Last year at the Direct Sellling Association annual conference, the Opportunity Zone was a finalist for an award for "Innovation" in the industry. I was disappointed we didn't win. What did win, for another company, was their mobile brand experience -- a bus. My first thought was, UGGG! Not only did the Opportunity Zone not win, but another company's bus won when we were already in the development stage for our own mobile tour. The company that won (not a major competitor, by the way) did so because their bus spurred sales and sponsoring in their business. Psssst! Our MoBEs aren't just wrapped buses... these are total experiences and WAAAAY cooler than the one that won the award. I mean, a wrapped bus isn't that innovative. Amway did that back in the early '60s.
Sixth: Every person who goes on these experiences just thinks they are awesome. They can't believe that the Nutrilite experience is inside a trailer. With the sides popped out there's more than a 1,000 square feet, so when you're on there you're truly transported into a different world. And when you step on the bus, you're suddenly in a spa, with plush blue leather, heavenly scents, beautiful Artistry displays, and the personal attention of spa staff. Wow!
For ALL the pix I took on Wednesday at the first stop of the 2008 MoBE tour, check out my MoBE set at Flickr. To find out where Tina is touring (and, therefore, the MoBEs), keep checking out the sponsorships section in the "Transform the Future" area of the IBO section at Quixtar.com for hours of operation while on tour, and stay tuned to your email or What's New for special notifications. Have a great day!
