Go RVing’s RV-Clipse Glasses Gains National Recognition – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
Never let it be said the folks heading up the Go RVing campaign don’t have a sense of humor.
Case in point: In the weeks leading up to this Monday’s solar eclipse over North America, Go RVing posted a series of cryptic messages on social media in which it touted it would soon launch a “revolutionary product that will cast a shadow on everything you thought you knew about RVs.”
“We are thrilled to finally unveil a product that will truly eclipse the competition,” Go RVing Chief Marketing Officer Karen Redfern said in a press release at the time. “This innovation will shatter expectations and open up a whole new solar system of possibilities for RV enthusiasts.”
In subsequent messages on the organization’s social media channels, Go RVing promoted what it called “RV-Clipse glasses”—oversized eclipse glasses which it said were specially designed to attach to the front of a motorhome, allowing the occupants to safely view the upcoming total solar eclipse from the comfort of their RV.
On Monday, Go RVing revealed the whole thing was an April Fool’s Day prank.
So, did anyone actually fall for the joke?
Based upon some of the comments posted on Go RVing’s social media pages, it did at least cause some people to question whether Go RVing had indeed developed giant eclipse glasses, according to Jeremy Greene, senior director of events and marketing for the RV Industry Association, which oversees the Go RVing campaign.
“We thought the joke carried pretty well,” he said. “You’re always searching for a way to cut through the noise and this seemed to align so well” because of the upcoming eclipse.
He added, “Based upon the comments and the engagement we saw on social media, it seems like a lot of people had fun with it.”
Go RVing developed its April Fool’s Day prank campaign in conjunction with its marketing partners, creating a Go RVing micro-website and a short video promoting the RV-Clipse solar glasses, which involved minimal expense for lots of free exposure, Greene said. In fact, early numbers suggest Go RVing’s spoof posts generated more than 250,000 views, he said.
Additionally, the prank garnered national media attention for Go RVing, as publications including AdWeek and AdAge highlighted major brands engaging in April Fool’s Day pranks.
Meanwhile, Go RVing did do a substantial amount of real promotion surrounding Monday’s total eclipse. Part of that campaign involved highlighting RVing as a cost-effective way to watch the eclipse. Greene noted that the Go RVing campaign provided a limited number of real, human-sized eclipse glasses to RV dealerships across the country that will be in the trajectory of Monday’s eclipse, so the dealerships could make those glasses available to their customers.
Incidentally, Greene said Go RVing did actually investigate creating one oversized pair of eclipse glasses that would fit on a motorhome, which it could use as part of its April Fool’s Day prank, but the cost was prohibitive.
