Nothing like the bold repeating image of a giant monkey face sailing by on the highway to command attention. To that end, Saban Brands is sending a tricked-out Winnebago on the road this summer to increase awareness of its Paul Frank brand, on a tour known as "The Academy of Awesome Mobile Tour." The national program will make more than 50 stops that will include performances by local bands, interactive contests, and detours to entertainment venues, music festivals, beaches, and parks.
The tour debuted on Saturday with a kickoff party in Los Angeles in the plaza in front of the colorful Pacific Design Center—an appropriate venue for the lively event, which included activities for kids like an inflatable slide and ping-pong. Guests could climb into the bus for a look inside at the product showroom, lounge, and interactive social media and music stations incorporated into furniture using iPads. The Winnebago will make its way east across the southern portion of the country, and come back along northern route, with stops including the world’s tallest thermometer in Baker, California, and Elvis Presley's Graceland.
