'#FirestoneKK' consists of two Kombis: one fully restored 1972 Volkswagen Brasília Kombi containing speakers, microphones, a TV prompter, and thousands of ‘old school’ songs; the other, a new 2017 VW Kombi, hosting a large catalogue of new songs.
Patrick Leslie, brand and channel manager at Bridgestone South Africa (which also manufactures and markets Firestone), says, "Music has been an integral part of the brand’s marketing DNA ever since Firestone founder, Harvey Firestone, hosted new acts on his radio show, Voice of Firestone in the 1920s. Firestone’s alignment with music has been revived in the United States and Europe over the past three years, and it is a perfect opportunity for Firestone to do so in South Africa."
"We decided to channel a bit of that legacy by creating ‘Karaoke Kombis’ to give visitors a platform of their own. At our stand, they can sing their hearts out, win great prizes, and share their moment in the limelight with other festival-goers and their friends," adds Leslie.
At the Firestone stand, guests will have the opportunity to choose their song, go to their Kombi and sing. Outside, a team of engineers will mix and record their performance, upload the clip, and share a link with the guests shortly after they have finished their performance.
Artifact says the real magic of the activation takes place after each act when participants receive an SMS with a link to their performance, channelled through the Firestone website.
The #FirestoneKK Kombi convoy made its visit to the Western Cape at the Cape Town Festival of Beer from Friday, 1 December to Sunday, 3 December at Hamilton’s Rugby Club, where it reached more than 1 000 fans.
For more information, visit www.firestonejourneys.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook.