Promotions and ads often look the same - B-roll and paid actors telling you why you need what the company is selling. Whatever fun or excitement you see is a show because the people on screen are not actually selling a product or service (other than their performance).
Every now and then, an ad finds me that makes me happy that people still buy cameras and jot down scripts with their friends and teammates. Valley Hi Toyota's gas card giveaway is one such ad.
Valley Hi Toyota is giving away $500 in gas cards on April 25th. A fun commercial on their Facebook and Instagram pages invites people to comment between 4/14/22 and 4/22/22 to enter.
We had a chance to chat with Brian Ortega, AKA "upset guy at the pump," about the giveaway.
I love the video. That's you at the pump, right? Is the other actor a dealership team member?
"Yes, that's me in the video and my assistant. He's the picture taker and manages our TikTok. His name is Frankie Liracarrillo."
You mentioned building up to a car giveaway. Can you tell me about that?
"We have giveaways all the time. We team up with local businesses to give away pizza or cupcakes, donuts, etc. We'll have a used car giveaway later. We are just looking for one to giveaway. It's a popular contest that builds morale in our community which has been inundated with bad news. It usually lasts about two months with different mini-contests. We typically end up with 25 finalists and announce the car winners live. Here's a playlist of past winners. "
Have you seen a lot of engagement? Has MobileMonkey played a significant part in the attention?
"We've used MobileMonkey before - especially to gather contact info.
We use their Comment Guards to kick off a messenger bot to enter people. A lot of our content is about relevance. What's going on in the community? What can we do to put a smile on people's faces? We're working on building our audience on Instagram, so we also put the contest there."
Why is your team doing the giveaway?
"The idea of the gas card was obviously due to the high prices, especially here in CA. People who live in the high desert and commute to LA or Orange County for work need some help, and I thought the giveaway would be a win-win. We recently lowered our ad budget due to low inventory, so spending advertising money on gas cards to give back to the community is a great way to maximize the impact. We showed our GM, Todd Stokes, the video, and he was fine with giving away a total of $500 in gift cards. So we'll have like $20, $30, and $50 gift cards that we'll giveaway on April 25."Valley Hi Toyota Gives Back
Creatively placed advertising dollars can do so much to show the community you are there for them, with them, and because of them. The impact Valley Hi Toyota has in the lives of the individuals in their community is surely making friends where other advertising efforts seek only consumers. That is the unique impact dealerships have across our nation: the ability to give back but also to give first.
I want to thank Brian, Frankie, and the whole Valley Hi Toyota team for doing what they do—giving to the community with their generosity, creativity, and spirit of fun.
About the Writer:
Chris Reeves
ASOTU Copy Writer
Chris@ASOTU.com