teammarketing.com: Short Hops

An American Dream: Hot Dogs and Guns

Jon Greenberg

11/24/2008 10:40 AM

In today’s globalized world, there’s nothing wrong with a little patriotism, a little reminder of why America is America and what being a citizen of these here Yoo-nited States is all about. There’s nothing wrong with standing up, teary-eyed and saluting something that represents what our grandfathers fought for on the shores of Normandy and what our brothers and sisters fight for overseas today. Some things just rise above.

And, really, is there anything that symbolizes our country better than a giant hot dog cannon?

“Only in America, would you have a big gun shooting hot dogs at people,” mused Steve Red, the President and Chief Creative Officer of the Philadelphia-based advertising agency Red Tettemer.

Watch out, Christopher Guest, there’s a new mockumentary in town.

In Philadelphia (the setting of Guest’s hilarious “Best in Show”), the World Champion Phillies, Red Tettemer, a hot dog company and a furry green mascot succeeded in making one of the cleverest advertising vehicles we’ve seen in some time: “The Hot Dog Launcher: Journey to the Upper Decks.”

And it all started with a dream.

“I’ve wanted to do a documentary or mockumentary on this for quite a few years,” said Eric Haman, the Public Relations Manager for Hatfield Quality Meats and “co-creator” of the Hot Dog Launcher.

It wasn’t until Hatfield got together with its agency, Red Tettemer, that Haman was able to realize his destiny and make a fake documentary about a hot dog gun.

Hatfield, the official hot dog of the Phillies, has been a team sponsor since the 1990s. When the Phillies moved to Citizens Bank Park, they scrapped their handheld hot dog shooter for an eight-foot-long cannon that is mounted on a grounds crew vehicle. The cannon is so powerful it can shoot a hot dog out of the park.

The Phanatic, who has a starring, albeit silent, role in the film, does the shooting at games. The launcher has become a fan favorite for between-inning entertainment.

While Haman had wanted to mythologize the cannon, the folks at Red Tettemer say it got started on their end when Michael Barker, a displaced Englishman who works as Executive Creative Director at the firm, went to a Phillies game and was fascinated with the utterly American invention.

“He came back and was so enthralled,” Red said. “He said it was the best machine he’s ever seen in his life. You would never see something like that in Great Britain. That’s sort of where our inspiration started.”

The goofy, easily watchable video was put up on a Web site called grillthegoodness.com, which was designed by Red Tettemer and Hatfield to attract male customers. There is also a video set in the world of NASCAR at Dover International Speedway.

The video, mostly narrated by Haman and Promotions Manager Rusty Ryan, traces the creation of the gun and treats it with straight-faced reverence. The video starts with Ryan remembering how the idea got started as a way to entertain fans between innings. By its end, Hatfield is linking the success of the endeavor to great moments in history.

“What does the wheel mean to mankind? What does landing on the moon mean to mankind?” Haman narrates. “Really, I think that’s what the launcher means to mankind. We think it’s one of the greatest inventions of the 20^th century.”

Hatfield still brings out the handheld cannon for events outside the park, and also sponsors similar promotions at Double-A Binghamton Mets and Independent York Revolution games.

This long-time promotion helps strengthen Hatfield’s brand with consumers (it provides hot dogs, sausages, barbeque and deli meats at games, and also sells Phillie Franks at grocery stores) and it entertains the fans during the regular lulls in a game.

“It’s very valuable,” Haman said of Hatfield’s relationship with the Phillies, especially now that the team is World Series champions. “The attention we get is amazing. The Phillies drew over 3 million fans and they’re all excited when the hot dog launcher comes out. It really helps making that emotional connection with fans.”

The video was done during the summer, but it was held while the Phillies made their October run. The video was finally released in November and has shown up on industry Web sites, like postadvertising.com and adfreak.com. It’s obviously too long for TV, but that’s not a hindrance for it to be an effective marketing tool.

“The advertising business is changing by the hour these days,” Red said. “More and more, consumers control what they want to watch and be a part of, so the requirement is to be entertaining and engaging. We’re not just creating commercials and content, we’re creating interesting experiences. That’s the impetus behind this piece. Fan can enjoy watching it without being sold to. It’s really great for both brands.”

For more on this story, check out the December issue of Team Marketing Report. Subscribe today online or by calling 847-509-9781.

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