AIRSTREAM CLOTHING and Promotional ART

[Ray Eklund]

Harley Davidson tee shirts from Sturgis, South Dakota have some of the most beautiful tee shirt art. It makes Harley Davidson motorcycles an art form. Even though my first, and last motorcycle was a 90cc Honda trail bike... I still love wearing my Sturgis tee shirts. Especially if you catch the big rally AFTER the last day and get everything at 50% or MORE off.

Harley Davidson CREATES the illusion in ART form AND owner's supporting that image.

Airstream. Wow... a free floor mat with the purchase of a very expensive trailer.

Airstream. Wow... a possible jacket that... well, looks like Airstream is a low budget jacket brand from China.

Airstream... what in Hell is wrong with YOU?

Airstream Trailers HAVE a public that still is curious IF the company is still in business. The corporate offices must be those from General Motors and prefer to run the company into the ditch of lost opportunities.

Whenever I think of Airstream, I think of Airstream Rallies that line up like the bikes in Sturgis, South Dakota and... well... that is the end of the story.

Here is a corporation with a true American ICON known across the "modern world" (probably only the Western World). Yet... they treat this treasure and living off of some 1950's travels across Africa as if that was enough to keep the image alive. As a think tank at Corporate... you have to have the thickest skulls and deep set eyes like the Neanderthal taking the last gasp of lost opportunities towards and eventual future extinction.

I would never wear my Airstream...hat, coat... but do use the floor mat. Get with it guys. Go to Sturgis, SD and see how to promote an IMAGE. Anyone who sees an Airstream today at an RV Park think of the owners as a group of wine sipping old farts, too old to understand that there is more to an Airstream than flushing the toilet and operating the ceiling fans.

Oh yeah... the Airstream plastic Christmas tree ornaments. That took some time to dream up. Ceramic Airstream dust collectors.

Even the Crazy Horse Monument has better promotional material to further their current and future work at their monument to a great Sioux Indian warrior.

And Airstream... a simple coffee cup.

[Lily&Me]

What ever happened to ArtStream....wasn't that his name??

He did beautiful Airstream shirts and other items.



Maggie

[xrvr]

HD junk was just free advertising. I bought lots of it. Then I got smart and quit. Too many wannabes with hd stuff that couldn't ride if they had too. Yes it was great marketing, but please don't mention AS and HD in the same reference. Do you want a bunch if sob owners flying your colors at rallys by wearing AS t shirts, etc? You AS owners are a select few in the RV world. Sorry for the rant! Peace, jim

[paiceman]

Went to Sturgis many times with the bike. Bought lots of T Shirts, my wife took a bunch of them and made blankets for the cool evenings, nice reminders of the bike days.

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . yo Ray, back away from the AS coffee cup ! ! ! That's what I'd call a rant. And admitting you walk around in Sturgis t-shirts with no mc, priceless. be safe out there. regards, Craig

[Ray Eklund]

I see many living in Kansas wearing NY Yankee baseball caps. Or someone from Calgary wearing a I Love New York... so get with it.

Airstream Safari... what images can you come up with?
Airstream Land Yacht...
Airstream International...
Airstream Flying Cloud...

We snow shoed for our 2 mile morning hike with our Blue Heelers and I had more ideas in those sixty minutes that Airstream has come up with in 60 years.

I think Harley motorcycles are absolutely magnificent modes of transportation, yet a vestige of decades ago. Bicycles have taken over that niche in transportation. Just not for me. That does not make me a wannabumblebee, either. NO one wears an Airstream jacket in Sturgis. The Sturgis tee shirts promote Sturgis Bike Week... but I support Sturgis and HD whenever I wear their "advertising".

Look at Airstream advertising. That is not me. I have no reason to wear a suit or leisure pants... ever while traveling in our Airstream.

I wear my Caribbean Island, Easter Island, Mexico... tee shirts and I do not reside there or am a wannabeeaequatorial resident. Been there, done it.

The majority of Airstream owners... need not even respond to this thread. The image of Airstream IS accurately shown in magazines and in the press. Most Harley owners are in the same, and even higher economic brackets than Airstream owners.

Advertisement: A couple camped in their Airstream next to a lake dressed like they are going to the ... opera with a fly rod leaning against the trailer.

What had given me this idea was while we were camped at Gilbert Ray Campground outside of SW Tucson, AZ. We began to have a conversation with a couple walking around the park and they had been looking at Airstreams at the new Airstream dealer in Tucson. The wife commented how "snooty" Airstream owners... are. Of course, that is not true in all cases. But this is the IMAGE of Airstreamers. They found us... unusual.

Sturgis tee shirts are not advertising junk. It is promotional visionary in an art form. I always take extras when we traveled internationally as I could literally sell or trade the tee shirt off of my back! The artistic talent designing and silk screening these tee shirts is worth framing and hanging in my office.

I have been a lone voice in Corporate offices, this website, Business ventures, Main Street Associations, etc... The idea person. No status quo for me. Yet the status quo are first to criticize... which is the normal reaction to new ideas.

You might consider yourself "special" for being an Airstream Owner. So does the Arctic Fox owner, Winnebago, etc.. But there IS an attitude among "newer" Airstream owners.

Harley Davidson motorcycle owners are also a diversified group. But, HD owners are much easier to be with and enjoy "their" experience... with or without a bike.

Today... you see the antique car owners. Mostly among the retired. They love to talk about their vehicles. You feel comfortable to be among them and share the "good old days" of the 1950's to 1970's hot rods. So do the vintage Airstream owners. We are a brotherhood. But... the Airstream crowd... there is a snooty atmosphere that even I cannot find tolerable.

So, criticize me for my observations, but do not become the stereotype Airstream image promoter. I always compliment other's trailers or RV. We discuss the pros and cons. Yet we all have something in common with all trailer owners... an art form that represents WHY we have an Airstream.

This is my point. ... and if I pop a few rivets while trying to get this thought into someone's head... well... tough. My bombastic talk comes from the heart... not from a cheap Airstream cup that might just contain fresh water.

[Ray Eklund]

How about a Sturgis Airstream / Harley Davidson Rally tee shirt?

What about having the stuff jacket crowd and leather jacket crowd gathering?

An Airstream USA / Alburquerque, NM Hot Air Balloon gathering?

How about finding an empty grass field, line up a bunch of Airstreams... yep. That would be possible.

[TCwheels]

So, I'm confused Ray...is the coffee cup good or bad?


WBCCI #7246 Michigan Unit,Texas Hill Country Unit (associate member), AIR #91367

[Ray Eklund]

So, I'm confused Ray...is the coffee cup good or bad?
*******
The absolute best Coffee we had with a breakfast was at a restaurant called Scratch in Boulder City, Nevada. It was $2 with free refills with a breakfast order. The breakfast was excellent. The coffee was excellent. It was dark roast, so apparently low in caffeine and any other stimulants. No, I did not have an Airstream coffee cup/mug/bucket although must have been wearing my Sturgis tee shirt as I was referred to Sir, several times.

I do... keep a clean 42 ounce plastic refillable soda container/tank to get 99 cent refills while making long drives towing the trailer. One station in Laramie, Wyoming gave me a free soda "refill" at not charge. Must, again, been wearing my Sturgis tee shirt. Same one, different years.

Groucho Marx: I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member. But, I would rather dance with the cows until you come home.

Again... HD affecting the economy of the West. Lusk, Wyoming will have Harley bikes backed up to fuel up. Sundance, WY. Rapid City. Never once, even at Jackson Center did I see a traffic jam of Airstreamers. It MUST be the tee shirt...

[thumbelinadj]

They need to license it out. There are companies that actually do the manufacturing and distribution for companies that sell cars, software or trailers. Not the merchandise. Snooty is not my style either. Like my coffee cup.

[Ray Eklund]

I received a free Tundra 2008 tee shirt at a Western Rodeo in Denver.

White tee shirt with a truck on the front. A whole lot of imagination there. I use it to change the ball grease and filter on my Airstream.

[ROBERT CROSS]

BTW.....it's made in Vietnam.


Got a AS Zippo and quit smoke'n, an AS Loc-Back and cut myself.



Bob

[cwf]

Yeah... AS needs an HD TRAILER.... They could open at least one more manufacturing facility to support demand for those who TOW their MC to 'rally'...

Instead of 'mouse fur' and soft ceilings, they could cover the walls with previous year HD T-shirts!!!

They could make COFFEE CUPS out of old HD Pistons or cylinders! The list goes on. and on...

Guess they are making 'enough' money.

HD has a 'canned image' you can purchase with wads of cash. So does AS.. but AS doesn't have the 'tough guy image'..... and the AS folks don't tend to have that image... It is a MARKETING ploy..... and it has served HD well.

What really seems strange to me is that AS seems to be interested in living on the past...that almost killed HD...

[TCwheels]

So the coffee cup is bad...because it represents snootiness and lack of marketing imagination? Just trying to understand...

[Ray Eklund]

"CWF: Yeah... AS needs an HD TRAILER.... They could open at least one more manufacturing facility to support demand for those who TOW their MC to 'rally'..."
*******

You see the "professionals" towing their Harley's in trailers to Sturgis on flat beds and within Uhauls. Your idea is so practical and has the potential to unite two great American Icons... and have potential sales that could have possibilities.

Corporate Airstream would not consider it.

Somehow Airstream wants an image and promotes this image of an Airstream as a high priced hotel room. Is there an image when you or someone not owning an Airstream imagine? I don't, and I have had two Airstreams since 2006. Maybe someone might start a thread about The Image of an Airstream... Owner.

When I say I tow my Airstream onto the gravel roads and two ruts on the Forum... most of the posts are... questioning my sanity. So, many owners do have an image in mind. Getting dusty and dirty is not one of them.

Airstreams should be FUN. Should be the top of the trailer pyramid for... (you list why). Some of you might say... why? ...Airstream sells them all the way it is. Obviously I am talking to a stump in a forest if no image has been recognized in the fog.

I did get some Airstream ink pens on our tours in Jackson Center. After awhile, they quit working. Maybe needed the ball in the ball point pen, greased.

Airstream owners have pride of ownership, that really span 8 decades and EACH still can be identified as an Airstream. Maybe an Avion... but who needs glasses?

There is an attitude about Airstream owners. Is is deserved, or not? There is an attitude about motorcycles... especially Harley Davidson branded models. It has always been positive, for me, although watching some television programs and movies, you would think everyone riding a Harley is a member of a gang or tormenting cats along the sidewalk.

This was not the purpose of the original Thread... although, eventually every thread becomes two sentence posts and lack any positive information.

I exist outside of the "Airstream image". It is just because that is what I do with my trailer, no matter what brand I had found most practical. I write about "possibilities".

I never thought about it until now. There might be more information to be gathered to support some feedback from individuals on my last trip. Maybe Snooty is an image of an element of Airstream Owners and should be printed on the jacket and hat. It just might sum up my thoughts as to the comments I have read.

Snooty. I think this couple in Tucson were on the right track and for good reason. Now, I have had my taste of "Snooty". I might be associating with the wrong people. That is not me. Opinionated, yes. Snooty, no.

[switz]

The local AS dealer uses perhaps 7 or 8% of the sales lot square footage for AS units. The rest is a complete range of top line motorhomes, fifth wheels, you name it. All the salesmen want to sell the motorhomes over a quarter mil for the commission. Not much commission on a 16" Sport. That attitude shows up in lack of product knowledge for AS products.

On the same street are literally dozens of trailer sales lots selling probably all brands made in the USA at every micro price point on the scale.

Thus, to acquire a AS here, one has had to be determined that is what they want out of a multitude of choices.

Perhaps that makes AS owners unique as they want something different than all the other square box trailers. The AS brand has 80 years of history where many of the newer brands do not have 80 months of history and may not even double that lifetime.

At the few rallies we have been able to attend so far, the AS folks were of different economic backgrounds, and any other filter one could mention. The common thread was the iconic Airstream design in their parking space that was made in 1940 or just last month.

In the past I owned BMW, Harley and Honda GoldWing motorcycles. Each group had a different unique persona that was exhibited whenever several of each brand got together, not unlike a group of Airstreamers.

I agree with the OP in that AS has been amazing ignorant of the marketing and side revenue from sales and licensing like in the Harley world. The same can be said of the GoldWing crowd and BMW crowd.

The local AS groups try to improve on this with their own flags and T-shirts. That is a tiny step but the clothing is usually worn only at the AS function.

[3 Dog Nite]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

What ever happened to ArtStream....wasn't that his name??

He did beautiful Airstream shirts and other items.



Maggie

The name ArtStream is right. He is still around. Mike usually spends the winter in the SW desert. He uses solar power to live frugally on Bureau of Land Management land. Try sending him a PM to find out about buying his artwork and clothing.

[Ray Eklund]

I did my best trying to imagine something to promote the image of an Airstream... and could not. It has a sterile image that really cannot be "morphed" into catchy slogans or graphics. Harley Davidson... can.

Snooty: having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people.

Now that CAN be worked with, but not with a product or a current brand.

Snooty... clothing, foot wear, hats, sun glasses and on and on. Snooty may already be branded, if not... here is someone who wants to copyright or register a brand name... Snooty.

So, I will have to be content with the sterile Airstream logo as... I shrug my shoulders after only getting this far.

There are some who come up with ideas, solutions and improvements during a good night's sleep. This is my magical world of ideas.

Somewhere, some one will (ArtStream?) might be able to capitalize upon the Airstream brand, working with Airstream, and possibly develop a theme. Myself... I have to find ArtStream on BLM and share thoughts and ideas.

There is a demand for an eye catching Airstream popular art, like Harley Davidson, and it will take more artistic and imagination to find that right material to touch the heart, imagination and thoughts of... snooty onlookers.

[jcanavera]

One may consider them ignorant regarding marketing, but on the other hand they seem to be doing a pretty good job of product placement in auto or truck ads. Movie and TV productions also seem to use Airstreams when they have story lines needing a travel trailer as an element. The only other product that seems to have such recognizable visual attributes is Apple's ability to have their laptops with their lit apple logo on the lid that seems to permeate so many TV shows and movies today. All very subtle brand reminders that leave an impression.

Obviously they are hitting their mark since they can't build them fast enough. Some things carry enough brand recognition that they really don't need the plethora of trinkets, t-shirts and other materials that some think is necessary to be labeled "successful".

Jack

[Ray Eklund]

I do get a glimpse of an Airstream being pulled by a new vehicle on television. A second or two of connecting Airstream with the public by loaning one for an automobile commercial. I would suspect that it is the automobile advertising accounts arranging this, and not an Airstream spoke person.

How about the placement of a vintage Airstream... Sons of Anarchy? Wayne, the retired policeman working for the Sons of Anarchy repair business living on site... boondocking? Harley Davidson and Airstream HAVE been sighted together by millions of television viewers if it made an impression, or not.

A great advertising ploy is to take a negative and make it positive. Remember when Senator McCain was said to have a bad temper. During an interview for television he was asked about this "bad temper". His response... "That really makes me... mad." Or something in that manner.

Dogs gone Bad, can be spun to be positive. You expect one thing and find that the Bad... is how crafty a dog can be to find that turkey on the counter and get his fair share. Not what people were expecting.

I await for the day that some artistic promotion of an Airstream is found on a tee shirt, hat or sweater. It must be auspicious but with this twist to remove any preconceived impressions of the public.

Tiffany would not be able to do this, nor many other brands depending on status and the snob appeal of their market. Airstream, Corvette, Harley Davidson and a number of other brands CAN pull this off and successfully.

Corvette tee shirts catered to those owning a particular style/model year. You could immediately make a connection at a car show with those who shared your vintage. Great way to sell tee shirts.

If I had a hat... Airstream Snooty... it removes this stigma, if there ever was one. "I am with Snooty." Snooty to you too. Take a perceived negative and turn it around into a positive.

For Airstream, there is a tight range of what the brand wants to capitalize upon. They may feel that getting away from the 80 years of... just... Airstream, it will carry on into the next fifty years.

Maybe an AirSTEAM tee shirt? Again playing on an image and idea.

At one time, we had a Las Vegas Night business in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Before River Boats and closed a year after River Boat gambling was legalized. We called it... Lee's Vegas Casino. Sold three tee shirts out of the five that a local silk screener made up for me. The problem was that the Poker hand was Four Aces... missing a fifth card. Obviously he had no clue how to play poker, either. But he tried.

There are some talented individuals following these Threads. It would be nice to support some artistic surreal Airstreams on some clothing for casual wear. I do not think Harley Davidson art work will be transferred to an Airstream brand... but I hope it happens. Even if it makes light of our owning an Airstream... make it art and buyers will come.