Go RVing has partnered with renowned auto expert Mike Caudill for a summer-long virtual media tour where he’s sharing the story of the RV industry’s surge in sales, rentals and first-time RVers.
Go RVing said that Caudill worked around the fact that satellite trucks aren’t available due to COVID-19 by using SKYPE and his own editing equipment to make the tour possible. He set up a campsite at his home on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee as the backdrop to broadcast interviews. Keystone RV provided a new Outback 2010 URS travel trailer for the first leg of the tour which was a big hit with television anchors interested in family-friendly travel.
“We had a blast working with Mike,” said Keystone RV Director of marketing and communications Christy Spender. “His enthusiasm for the camping lifestyle is contagious, you could see that in how the news anchors interacted with him. These were homerun segments for us.”
Caudill has already done more than two dozen interviews in local markets across 12 states as well a national interview with HLN’s Weekend Express, a CNN network, totaling nearly 800,000 impressions with an advertising equivalent of more than $250,000.
“I’m a lifelong RVer, so telling people about the benefits of RVing and how to get started is second nature to me,” said Caudill. “There’s no doubt that this is definitely the summer of RVing! I’m happy we could find a way to make this campaign work considering the current crisis makes it near impossible to do a traditional satellite media tour.”
In his interviews, Mike covers the benefits of RV camping and the basics of getting started including visiting your local dealer. He filmed several interviews from Gander RV in Nashville with help from their general manager, Roger Bonine, who was there hours before opening to help Mike set up. He also showcased park model RV camping at the Nashville KOA and reminded viewers to check out GoRVing.com for information on types of RVs, finding an RV dealer, how to rent an RV, choosing a campground, trip planning, budgeting, and much more.