AIRSTREAM CLOTHING and Promotional ART

[Ray Eklund]

I pop a rivet every time I see you.
Snooty (or fill in your name)

Pound for pound... you are my Airstream
(well, this could have a double meaning)

To improve my Airstream, you would have to be in it.

or

To improve my Airstream... stay home at your mothers'.
(for a relationship gone bad)
*****

No, I have not had any coffee or beverage. You can come up with better ones... lets hear them. All tee shirt material for the future artist in waiting.

[thesignlady]

Originally Posted by TCwheels

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

In my Humble Opinion any coffee cup is good... So long as there is Baileys in the coffee, no matter what it says on the outside

[Alphonse]

Ray, looks like you found a niche - get to printing those Tee shirts man.

[Foiled Again]

A beautiful classic knucklehead comes down the ramp to roar through the streets.

Combo image - slick as a greased eel in a barrel of snot.

Paula

[Sharkboards]

OK, what are the qualities of 'Airstreamness' or 'Airstreamitude?' that should be promoted better? What would you like to see? Humor? Retro-focused cool? High-end Glamping?

I'm an artist and designer, and am stunned at the lack of a cohesive product identity for merchandising/promotional purposes. Not that I like overmerchandised products, mind you, but we should have at least a few things we are proud to own with the name. Quality is essential. I'm getting inspired here--what are your thoughts?

[Goal15]

Was just looking at the AS corporate store. While the variety and selection isn't exactly overwhelming, I think what we are seeing is that AS is focused on making its core products, not ancillary doodads.

As to merchandising/promotion, I think this, along with product placement, are a couple of things that Airstream really isn't worried about given number of trailers, Interstates that they are producing.

The reference to Apple is apt because creative types that come up with commercials, marketing campaigns love Apple stuff and are also quite taken by the image of the Airstream. So when the client says, how can we up our "cool", the creatives are likely to say.... put an Apple product or an Airstream in your message.

In a perfect world, would Airstream be as savvy in marketing and promotion of brand as Apple and others are? Yes. But you have to remember that those other brands are selling product by the millions, often manufactured abroad and mostly not built by hand. So given Airstream's limited capacity to build its core products, it is not surprising that increasing the consumer's desire to own an Airstream is not the highest priority at the moment.

So I think if folks here want more Airstream related stuff, it's going to have to come from somewhere other than Jackson Center.

D

[Photobum]

I rode HD for years, and after the first year I woke up and quit buying $30 t-shirts. In fact I really don't like paying to advertise any business. They want to give me something, I probably would still not wear it. A lot of people may feel differently...

As they say, your mileage may vary....

[flaagan]

I got the dark grey hoodie shown here when I picked up my Stingray from Bowling Green last year, wouldn't mind having something of similar quality with the Airstream logo on it.

[Goal15]

Originally Posted by Photobum

I rode HD for years, and after the first year I woke up and quit buying $30 t-shirts. In fact I really don't like paying to advertise any business. They want to give me something, I probably would still not wear it. A lot of people may feel differently...

As they say, your mileage may vary....

The only brand logo that I will consistently wear is Adidas and that decision goes back some 45 years based on the quality and fit of their soccer shoes when I was in college when they and Puma were pretty much your only choices for quality soccer shoes.

Other than that I totally agree with not paying to advertise someone's business.

On the other hand if Columbia Sportswear, Eddie Bauer or Orvis wants to give me a lifetime wardrobe..... I'll gladly be a walking billboard.

D

[Ray Eklund]

"Photobum: I rode HD for years, and after the first year I woke up and quit buying $30 t-shirts. In fact I really don't like paying to advertise any business. They want to give me something, I probably would still not wear it. A lot of people may feel differently..."

You would have to spend some time pulling off Logos and stiched Brand names off of everything you own. Those tiny red LEVI tags stitched into every pair... you would ruin the pants to totally remove it. We are all advertising someone's... stuff. Crap or not... even your automobile has more advertising than your Airstream.

*******
IF you are around Sturgis the last day or a day or two afterwards, the prices of unsold tee shirts for that year are $5 to $8. I would not pay the big price from the Tee Shirt Shops that are easy to find. Go downtown.

I wore white JC Penney tee shirts at one time beneath my long sleeve shirts. Not since 1986, that is. I can be wearing a long sleeve shirt in the morning at 39F in a cool Rocky Mountain morning... and in one hour at 65F advertise the hell out of Sturgis for years. And who knows... someone cruising the camp ground to steal a couple of bicycles or a Honda generator purring on a tailgate... might decide to rip off the guy with I Love Miami tee shirt.

I will not toss my University of Wyoming sweaters away until they are worn out and then donate them for the trendy teens wanting a bucking horse sweater. Some of my UW tee shirts are older than some of the posters on this thread. While traveling Wyoming with Colorado plates... it does ease up the first impression of the Rancher when asking to hunt his Ranch for Ammonites or fossils.

Advertising tee shirts are a way to meet new and interesting people. When I am wearing my HD tee shirt with a wild looking hog screaming on a motorcycle, on both sides even... a real biker will ask what kind of bike do I ride. "well,... back in the 20th century... a 90cc Honda". Nobody cares after that, much like Some Other Brand trailer owner is just as proud of his trailer, as I am of mine.

IF Airstream promoted their product... BETTER, which now is almost no cost to them in "towing TV ads" there IS a big return. Several, matter of fact.

- Airstream creates more interest and demand for the newer models and will cover the expanded factory to be fired up shortly...

- USED Airstreams will hold their value better and for a longer period of time

Alphonse... get busy designing cards that Hallmark Cards (smaller company would cut you a better deal) can get the rights from Airstream to print. Add a Harley or a Bicycle to catch a double option. Looks like you can draw... camp out in the National Forest or BLM and work out of your trailer.

[Clemton]

Can anyone say "Life is Good"?

[Ray Eklund]

What is this with Road Kill tshirts? It comes up on the right side when browsing... a Thread.

Put a 16 foot Bambi trailer on this tee shirt and the local Airstream Dealer will have to give out numbers to just LOOK at the Airstreams on the lot.

[demijac]

You lost me at snooty. I second the idea for some Bailey's in either an SOB or AS coffee cup.

[Photobum]

I should probably mention that not only did I ride Harley's for more than a dozen years, I had a friend that owned a franchise and tried to sell it to me. (I gave him some great ideas on how to grow his business...) I did some research in 1999-2000 and discovered that the parent company was requiring the dealers to put more and more space aside for what we used to call "merch" primarily clothing. Evidently the execs discovered that the margins in clothing were significant and they wanted to grow that side of the business. There was a fair amount of concern as to whether the company had lost it's focus.

Personally I think it is good that Thor and Airstream are more focused on their product than merch.

[Photobum]

Goal15, I agree on Orvis. My real weakness is Patagonia. I knew Yvon Chouinard and bought climbing equipment from him over forty years ago. I still buy their clothing today. And I have been wearing Brooks Brothers since I was five years old (first suit had the short pants!).

These days LA Police Gear pants, Land's End Mock turtlenecks, and everything else is Orvis or Patagonia. And I do not wear Levi's anymore, and I cut the tags out of everything I wear.

[Ray Eklund]

Orvis closed its large store in Denver. Enjoyed looking at the displays that were unique... just more market for bicycles and skiing equipment in Colorado. Fishing... only for those of us who know something about fishing.

Photobum had an interesting comment in #34 about HD with larger margins in clothing and lost focus.

Believe it or not, all corporations have independent employees to work each aspect of the "business". Marketing. Retail. Manufacturing. Internet. Dealerships... and even an in house or out of the house leather gear in the case of HD. One department does not slow down the process in another. Licensing to other companies is also common and let them sink or swim.

Gear can be sold on the internet, anywhere in the USA or World supply centers and shipped without even using any floor space at a company or independent owner's business. The business owner sells you the bike, gives you a $75 coupon for accessories... and they can cover overhead and retain customers. The whole package at one location.

I see no relationship between Thor and Airstream being focused on their "product". Had they been making big profits on current doo dads and clothing today... there would be something offered to Airstream trailer owners of better quality. Even if it is a warehouse in Dayton, Ohio... it affects nothing in the manufacturing end of the business.

Why does South Dakota advertise to tourists... South Dakota? Not to send them to the Wine Country in Napa Valley... it is to mostly, the Black Hills. Advertising does not cost... it PAYS. I do not work for an Ad Agency, but am familiar with them. You buy rock climbing gear with a logo you find trustworthy... why not some nylon rope from Sears and save some money, but put your life at risk?

Eagle Claw might still have their warehouse along I-70 in Denver. Orvis... I am not sure if they are even in the State.

I hope you understand that you need to rethink your premise.

Ski shops in Colorado sell winter equipment and clothing in the Winter months and phase in Warm weather products in the warm months.

[Landshark]

Airstream Corporate and dealers sell tees with various Airstream logos and I wear them all summer long.

In fact, I was wearing one while gassing up my car and a young man hollered over that he had an Airstream, too. Turned out it was his father's: a 1955 Flying Cloud. I chased it for two years and finally own it today.

So that tee was responsible for my finding a 13-panel FC! Not bad--I'll wear that label happily!

Vivian

[Goal15]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Orvis closed its large store in Denver. Enjoyed looking at the displays that were unique... just more market for bicycles and skiing equipment in Colorado. Fishing... only for those of us who know something about fishing.

Photobum had an interesting comment in #34 about HD with larger margins in clothing and lost focus.

Believe it or not, all corporations have independent employees to work each aspect of the "business". Marketing. Retail. Manufacturing. Internet. Dealerships... and even an in house or out of the house leather gear in the case of HD. One department does not slow down the process in another. Licensing to other companies is also common and let them sink or swim.

Gear can be sold on the internet, anywhere in the USA or World supply centers and shipped without even using any floor space at a company or independent owner's business. The business owner sells you the bike, gives you a $75 coupon for accessories... and they can cover overhead and retain customers. The whole package at one location.

I see no relationship between Thor and Airstream being focused on their "product". Had they been making big profits on current doo dads and clothing today... there would be something offered to Airstream trailer owners of better quality. Even if it is a warehouse in Dayton, Ohio... it affects nothing in the manufacturing end of the business.

Why does South Dakota advertise to tourists... South Dakota? Not to send them to the Wine Country in Napa Valley... it is to mostly, the Black Hills. Advertising does not cost... it PAYS. I do not work for an Ad Agency, but am familiar with them. You buy rock climbing gear with a logo you find trustworthy... why not some nylon rope from Sears and save some money, but put your life at risk?

Eagle Claw might still have their warehouse along I-70 in Denver. Orvis... I am not sure if they are even in the State.

I hope you understand that you need to rethink your premise.

Ski shops in Colorado sell winter equipment and clothing in the Winter months and phase in Warm weather products in the warm months.

I think the premise is a correct one in that, if indeed Airstream as a subset of Thor, is focused on getting units out the door, I'm willing to bet that there is not a lot of extra bodies at the management level who can deal with ancillary collateral products.

I wasn't suggesting that Airstream should get into the t-shirt manufacturing business, but it does take some human resources to work with designers, outsourced manufacturers or even if they were willing to outsource the responsibility for making collateral happen that is of better quality, there still has to be a layer of folks internally that can be responsible for making sure the stuff happens at a level of quality and fulfillment that would meet customer expectations. In the companies that are best at branding, marketing and bringing quality collateral to the marketplace, it doesn't happen in a vacuum.

I think one of the difficult things is that as we can see in these Forums, every AS owner and wannabe owner may have a vastly different idea of what would be "cool" collateral.

I will agree that AS ought to up its game in this area. I just don't know whether they have the appetite for expending the additional resources.

[Ray Eklund]

Marketing a product or service via clothing is a tough marketing decision left to those with outside the box thinking. Usually the expense is covered by a company licensed or hired to develop... something.

McDonalds is a good example. The most successful promotion for McDonalds was the Happy Meal. It was dreamed up at a small advertising agency in Kansas City. This one idea and client rocketed the company into the big times and they live well today.

I do not expect to find condoms or toilet paper advertised on tee shirts... although many products spend a lot to get their name out there.

I have yet to read about a company that has too much business and is tired of making too much money in sales. Never. Advertising and promotional material are an integral part of the capitalist system. Soft drink corporate pay bottlers to advertise their product in their regions. Corporate depends on the bottler to know where to promote their products best.

Find a sport figure to promote underwear/brief sales? It must work.

It would be interesting to understand how Airstream promotes itself. You can live off an image only so long, as times change and so can the customer. Had I any insight on promotional material for Airstream. There just are not that many Airstream owners for a company to capitalize on large scale production. This might be the limiting force for Airstream's interest. Too small of a market.

If you read about the two climbers climbing El Capitan's Down Wall in Yosemite Park... they in the process have promoted their supporters, which provide climbing gear. If it is good enough for them... it must be good enough for me. Had the family been provided an Airstream for interviews in the camping area... what would that have been worth in promotion? This is a more powerful advertising angle for Airstream that what we have been discussing as individual customers. Much like NASA using an Airstream RV.

One of the climbers is from Colorado and mentioned free climbing Vidauwoo Park, north of I-80, east of Laramie, Wyoming as a youth. Great area to learn to climb. I am sure this mentioning of the park will bring in those wanting to get a taste of abrasions and sore knuckles in the process. There is a campground in that area and in other nearby National Forest areas. I lived in Laramie, so would just climb around the granite spherical exposures with lots of rough crystals to give you finger holds and traction on soft rubber soles. Kirk Goudy State Park, Granite Lake, Crystal Lake. Look it up on Google. Elevations over 7,200 feet, so June to August would be spectacular camping for adults and energetic kids.

Since this is really just an attempt to drive some interest among we Airstream owners, someone might be inspired to try something. It will not be me or anyone following this Thread... but where there is a demand, a product will surface. Licensed or not.

[jcanavera]

Airstream is limited by its market and pricing. While Airstream could push up sales by active marketing, they also can be hurt badly by external economic factors. It's a fine line they balance and too much capacity and overhead can bring you down pretty quickly when sales go south due to economic situations. The business world is littered by the carcasses of good companies brought down by the economy.

It's interesting to remember the history of Thor and that it started with the acquisition of Airstream and the old Hi-Low trailer companies. Obviously those two companies provided the profits needed for the corporation to make further acquisitions.

You can look at the radio industry to see Thor's concepts. In radio the owners used to achieve for the powerhouse station that led in the ratings. Now the idea is to own a lot of stations over the dial, each marketing to different levels of listeners. In the sum total they make more money owning stations that cover the broad spectrum of listeners than owning the highest rated station.

Why go nuts on advertising when each RV in their stable of brands makes decent profits?

Jack