During these challenging pandemic times, the open road is calling–in fact, it’s singing. In the newest campaign from Winnebago, created by Kansas City-based independent agency Barkley, Winnebago lovers share their varying vocal talents as they join together to sing the familiar refrain of “On the Road Again.”
For the user-generated spot, the Winnebago community was invited to record themselves singing the classic song “On the Road Again” and share photos and videos from their favorite nostalgic road trips. A compilation of these renditions and imagery will debut across the Winnebago and National Park Foundation social channels and for each share that the video receives, Winnebago will donate $1 to the National Parks Foundation, up to $25,000 in total.
“‘On the Road Again’ captures the Winnebago community’s boundless optimism for the future and raises funds for the parks they love and respect,” said Matthew Smith, director of marketing at Winnebago. “As parks are re-opening around the country, we wanted to rally our community and preserve nature for all to enjoy.”
According to a late-April survey published by the U.S. Travel Association, only 14 percent of travelers feel safe taking a domestic flight, and only 17 percent feel safe at a hotel or resort. Winnebagos offer one of the few secure, self-contained ways to travel. As a result, Winnebago is adding a lot of new faces to its community this summer.
Winnebago reports seeing a strong wave of first-time RVers and boaters during the recent spring and summer seasons. While there has been an increase in new buyers, the brand is also experiencing step-up buying with existing owners as well as a significant increase in both the rental and sharing sides of their outdoor business. In the past few years, the number of first-time buyers typically runs around 30 to 35 percent, but this year Winnebago has seen that number increase to closer to 45 to 50 percent, especially in the Towable segment.
“The Winnebago community is a tight-knit group that has felt the loss of seeing one another since stay-at-home orders went into place for most states,” said Berk Wasserman, executive creative director at Barkley. “This piece gave them the chance to come together and share a song of hope for the road ahead.”
