Few things go better with craft beer than good food and music, and Firestone was at the Cape Town Festival of Beer (CTFOB) to take care of the latter.
The Firestone Karaoke Kombi (#FirestoneKK) marketing campaign made the road trip to Hamilton’s Rugby Club in Cape Town this past weekend (1 – 3 December) to participate in the 9th official CTFOB.
At the event, Firestone took care of the entertainment both at the pre-event Brewer’s Braai and during the three-day event, where 10 000 guests attended to taste many of the over 200 beers from 60 craft brewers on offer.
“Johannesburg crowds at the DStv Delicious Festival and the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge set the bar really high, but the Cape Town crowds took it to the next level,” says Patrick Leslie, the Brand and Channel Manager at Bridgestone South Africa, which owns the Firestone brand.
Several hundred guests signed up over the weekend to sing either old-school karaoke in the restored 1972 VW Brasília Kombi or new school karaoke in the brand-new 2017 VW Kombi. Both vehicles have been converted into mobile karaoke-studios, complete with cueing TV-screens, microphones and speakers.
“While the guests sing inside either of the kombis, our team mix their songs, upload them on to YouTube and send them a link of the finished product via WhatsApp within five minutes. This allows them to share their performances with friends and family almost immediately after participating,” says Leslie.
A YouTube-video of their performances is not the only thing that guests take home. Firestone has shipped a large selection of branded hand-outs from its European Firestone Music Tour to reward the brave and talented singers.
The #FirestoneKK Campaign celebrates the Firestone brand’s long history in South Africa, which began when it manufactured the first Firestone tyre in South Africa in 1936. Since then, the brand has been part of South African culture and is synonymous with high-quality, affordable South African made tyres. It is also known for its Tyre Damage Guarantee, where the owner only pays for the tread already used when replacing a damaged Firestone tyre.
From Cape Town, the #FirestoneKK convoy treks back north to start preparing for a full calendar of festivals and fun starting with the first event in January 2018.
“The interest in the #FirestoneKK has far exceeded our expectations, and we have decided to add more stops to the campaign in 2018. So, when attending your favourite music, food, craft or sport event, keep an eye out for the two red Firestone Karaoke Kombis and come join in the fun,” says Leslie.
