Cruising across the country in a custom pV-branded 45-foot bus, the Pure Vanilla team makes its first stop on Saturday, Oct. 7 in Ann Arbor, Mich., for the heated Michigan Wolverines vs. Michigan State Spartans rivalry.
“The whole idea behind this tour is to make the college-aged market aware of our brand,” Pure Vanilla CEO Steven Yevoli told XBIZ. “Our main objective is to build the first payment processing brand that is secure and anonymous. We see going to different college football stadiums to promote pV as a significant marketing opportunity.”
The party starts on Friday, Oct. 6 at Ricks and Touchdowns, a local bar, between 8 p.m. and midnight where Pure Vanilla is sponsoring the local bar the night before the game.
The real action takes place the next night, when the Pure Vanilla crew sets up shop in the Pioneer parking lot across from Michigan Stadium. There will be a mechanical bull, football toss, Frisbee show and giveaways all day starting at 8 a.m.
The tailgate tour also includes a “secrets station” where fans are encouraged to share their deepest secrets. The most revealing confession of the tour wins a prize — an all expenses paid trip for two to Las Vegas. The winner will stay in a suite at the Wynn Hotel and Casino and will be given $1,000 spending money.
Continuing the tour, Pure Vanilla heads to the Michigan vs. Penn State game Oct. 14, Boston College vs. Florida State Oct. 21 and the “world’s largest cocktail party,” Georgia vs. Florida on Oct. 28.
The tailgate tour represents pV’s first big guerilla marketing push, and Yevoli anticipates other tours to follow.
“Our whole push is for a mainstream audience,” Yevoli said. “Pure Vanilla’s goal is simple. Many people look at content on the Internet, or virtually window shop, but they don’t pull the trigger on the purchase because of privacy concerns. Pure Vanilla is their answer.”