Covered inside and out in a colorful array of promotional products, the ASI Promocar left California today, bound for a 2,700-mile journey across 12 states to drive attention to the $21.5 billion ad specialty industry. The Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI) of Trevose, PA, created the moving billboard as part of a year-long ASI public relations campaign called “Driving Serious Fun,” designed to spread the word about the industry’s creativity and ingenuity.The ASI Promocar (hashtag #ASIpromocar) is a 2002 Mazda Protégé that ASI employees covered inside and out with hundreds of promotional products donated by ASI suppliers, including logoed slinkys, zombie stress balls, cellphone holders, keychains, pens, car magnets, pinwheels, celebrity face cut-outs, USBs, badges, lanyards, can coolers, light-up ice cubes, T-shirts and flip-flops.

Anyone who sees the car and posts a pic during its eight-day trip with the hashtag can score a “Driving Serious Fun” T-shirt. Follow the car along the way through pics and blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and on ASI’s website.

“It’s been wonderful to see people have a little fun with the Promocar and to meet face-to-face to talk about the affordable, high-ROI products that fuel our industry,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI. “At a time when we conduct so much business electronically, it’s great to get out of the office and hit the road – especially in a car that’s the epitome of ‘mobile’ advertising.”

Promotional products, aka ad specialties or giveaways, are logoed items like T-shirts, caps and pens that companies typically give away to promote their business, brand or event or to thank employees or clients. The industry has posted increasing sales the last 20 quarters and is growing at twice the rate of the U.S. economy.

The ASI Promocar departs Los Angles March 30 and will stop in Flagstaff, Arizona; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Memphis, Tennessee; Asheville, North Carolina; and Floyd, Virginia before ending its trip in Stockton, New Jersey on or around April 8. The car will then return to ASI headquarters in Trevose, Pennsylvania.  MORE INFO