Getting ready, AKA making a big mess in the garage… gives me something to do that feels adventure oriented. So that everyone can feel the burn too, Hula Betty videoed the magic we call loading up the rig. It is only one minute and 14 seconds and you’re not doing anything at work… Turn the monitor so your boss who is way to uptight and does not appreciated your need for internet social interaction, cannot see and enjoy time that is rightfully yours at work.
BTW: If you work for me… get back to work before you’re fired! Just Kidding!
Sunday, Boy and I head out on this years Last Great Road Trip. We’re heading to Ouray, Colorado to meet up with 200 other FJ Cruiser owners and run the trails near Telluride. Joining us on this father son adventure… Hula Betty!
Hula Betty hitched a ride up to the Arctic Ocean with Dad and me but mysteriously jumped from the rig on the way back. Although accusations were made, no charges were ever filed and no suicide note or body found. Now just like the mangy flea covered, tick infested pet who tracks down its owners after being abandoned in the country move across, Hula Betty is back. And she looks better than ever.
Hula Betty is not just another pretty bobble doll, she is away of life that embraces adventure and promotes tolerance. Tell us about your Hula Betty… or at least send a picture. Look for Hula Betty in the up coming pictures and videos. There are even discussions about a full length Hula Betty feature… But those are just rumors.
…the water was exceptionally wet with the rain, heavy snow melt and oceans rising from the global warming. As the water in the rivers crested and levies broke, flood waters rushed over everything west of the Pacos. The only hope for saving the orphans was Scuba Steve riding high in his FJ Cruiser. Crossing the high water in his Voodoo Blue wet suit, Scuba Steve saved the children and Sister Mary Knuckle Buster, driving them to higher and dryer ground…
It could happen!
But before it did, we would want to relocate the rear differential and E-Locker’s breather to a higher and hopefully drying location. You can read the horror stories on the forums about rigs who got water sucked in through the breather and the dollars it took to pull the fish out of their rear end. You can also read how simple it is to relocate you breather, with the list of parts and instructions.
After running a number of wet trails this winter and pushing my H2O luck with some crossings, I finally took the plunge and performed the famous Scuba Mod on the Last Great Road Trip’s Rig. As the video shows, it was a simple process of pulling a length of hose down from the gas fill area to the rear frame, zip tie it here and there, pull the stock breathers, hook it all together with a handy little T-connector and put the original breather on the hose end back in the gas fill where is all began. Waalaa Scuba Mod.
While we may not be called in, like Scuba Steve, to save a house full of orphans or the Hooters bikini car wash girls, we can feel confident in navigating some water crossings that previously had us a bit nervous.
“Why would anyone want to sponsor you… What makes you guys so special?”
Nice… Thx!
Usually I just smile and let them think about it. However, if you really want to know than lets talk.
First and foremost if you want a sponsor you need to ask yourself what is in it for them. Companies are looking for advertising with high returns that will translate into sales. It is that simple, with the key statement being high returns. Individuals on the other hand have any number of reasons including the desire to help a worthy cause.
For my sponsor quest, the first thing I did was take inventory of what I had to offer that would translate into high value advertising and sales for potential sponsors. Surprisingly my list was longer than I first imaged. That list included:
An easily recognizable brand “Last Great Road Trip”
First page Google search results for several key word phases (adventure road trip, last great road trip, road trip blog)
High traffic web-site (www.lastGreatRoadTrip)
Affiliation with an important social message: tolerance of others and the celebration of diversity
Published writer (did you see the cover of 4wd Toyota Owner April 08?)
Highly noticeable Rig (its hotter than a Tijuana night on spring break)
Active membership on several Toyota and overland adventure forums
Video producer on YouTube, Revver and other video distribution sites
Digital photographer on Flicker, Snapvillage, Nikon Picture Town
Once I had my inventory, I needed to decide what it was worth. To determine a value I reviewed my Google Analytics and discovered I have approximately 1,200 visitors a month. The majority of visitors
are from the US followed by Europe, India and Australia. The demographics showed men 35 to 45 make up 28% of the visitors followed by 25 to 35 year old men at 26%. The site and videos show only 5% of viewers are women although most of the Blog’s comments come from women.
When it came to the vehicle I kept track of where the rig spent its time, miles per day commuted and a count of the number of stares per day. The rig gets a lot of stares, 27 on average… I counted.
With all this data I decided on a sponsor package, wrote a cover letter describing the adversing opportunity along with a description of Last Great Road Trip and its social message. I made sure to included my site’s demographics and traffic (eyeball) counts. Finding the right corporate contact was more often the hardest part of the process. My top level sponsor package offer includes the following exposure:
Sponsor’s 200 pixel wide by 75 pixel high web site banner with a link to their web site.
Sponsor’s name included on press releases.
Sponsor’s name and product worked into multiple trip blog entries.
A web page will be created discussing the sponsor’s product with an installation how-to.
Posting on the forums “member buildup” with links back to how-to with digital images of the rig showing sponsor’s product installed.
Seven lines of descriptive text about the sponsor, their products and contact information displayed on the “Support our sponsors” Page.
Sponsor’s sticker displayed prominently on trip vehicle.
NEW
A YouTube video will be produced (campy not commercial quality) discussing the rig and sponsor’s product.
On other future videos, the sponsor will appear in the credits. These videos will include wheeling, how-to and interview videos.
Although we can never promise, we also work with media publishers to run new articles. These articles include product installs and topics 101 ( such as explaining various components of lighting and what goes into selecting quality products).
What did I want for all this? I decided on cash, gear or discounts as long as I believed in the product or service. The key being “I believed in the product or service”. I’m promoting the sponsor’s product from the prospective of I use and believe in the products. Unlike magazines that simply provide space, I need to be comfortable when evangelizing the sponsor’s product with other wheelers. At the end of the day I feel good that I can say Baja Designs has partnered with us and their lighting systems work great on the trail because I chose the product first and than asked for sponsorship.
We sent letters to the big national guys but their advertising dollars were already spent on NASCAR, X Games and Survivor Timbuktu . The local shops, dealers, and small guys however were looking for affordable ways to increase their local and Internet exposure. While Toyo was not going to through any love our way, the local Les Schwab dealer gave us a great discount on tires. Metal Tech is always there for us when we need custom fabrication work, advice and high-end off road proven parts. Even our local Toyota dealer has discounted oil changes and services up to 40% in exchange for a little advertising exposure.
The opportunities for sponsors are endless. To take advantage of those opportunities prepare your package and cover letter so corporate and individual sponsors know you are serious and can easily see what is in it for them. Think and act as a business person when approaching potential sponsors, your selling you advertising space. Success is as much about luck, timing, a willingness to ask and having your pitch ready. More often than not it is the last mile, calling on potential sponsors, that prevents individuals from reaching their goals.
You will find after a couple of sponsors initially sign up, your task of attracting others becomes easier. Our efforts really paid off after we had a trip on the books and a published article. As my dad always said “You’ll appreciate it more if you have to earn it”. Although I’m pretty sure I would be OK with everything given to me, we continue to work for our sponsors and to attract new supporters.
Freud can take that headline for what it is worth… But when we started planning for the Baja we know we would need some serious lighting if we were going to explore the desert at night. Not wanting to take any chances we looked at a lot of manufactures’ lighting systems. After months of painstaking analysis and research, reading through magazines (looking at pictures), going through forums, stopping at 4×4 shops and talking to anyone who would listen, we decided to go with Baja Designs’ Soltek setup.
We choose these lights for their crystal clear optics, high quality electronic components, no-tool adjustments and a mounting system that isolates vibration. They also weep testosterone on the pages of Hula Betty’s magazine.
Need more information… In order to make it easier on our readers, we have put together a PDF article on the selection and installation in the Hula Betty, along with a short video of the process.
Another little tidbit that is handy to refer to is a relay diagram when you’re trying to remember all the different wires going from here to there. This is a nice reference:
If you still need MORE… drop us a comment with your question and let us know if you like the format and what we can add to help others when it comes to off road light selection and installation.
