Since 1962, Oscar Meyer has been touting its wieners with jingles that wonderfully illustrated the subjunctive mood with “I wish I were an Oscar Meyer weiner – everyone would be in love with me.” But as early as 1936, there was the Weinermobile, and the 1952 model is enshrined at the Henry Ford Museum.
Now in the 21st century, Oscar Meyer realizes there is great potential to bring out the Weinermobile to capitalize on those Instagrammable moments that both customers and brands love to share with the world.
Accordingly, it is releasing six of them, providing fans of the hotdog-shaped vehicle with two ways of seeing it in the flesh. They can either travel to the location where one is headed, or they can have it come to them.
Yes, if your wish is not to be but the weiner but to have a “27-foot-long hot dog on wheels” bearing the Oscar Meyer logo in the background of your special occasion, it may be granted. You can request it, here.
The brand warns to allow a minimum of three months and up to a full year of advance notice and doesn’t share what criteria it applies in its selection of weiner-worthy occasions.
The inspiration for the offer was the proposal scene set by the Wienermobile’s official driver, whose Instagram handle is Zach n Cheese. He proposed to his finance with the Weinermobile prominently in the background at Yellowstone National Park.
When you think about it, it’s actually an easier thing to stage than some of the other elaborate setups people now are expected to show off on Instagram for their proposals. It’s just one big prop that doesn’t even cost you anything.
It’s absolutely brilliant branding, though. Instead of paying for product placement, the company gets people to compete for the privilege of centering their most important pictures on Instagram around the product’s ad. This is on par with Tom Sawyer’s plot to get his friends to pay him for the privilege of whitewashing the fence.
