On Labor Day weekend, the Audio Publishers Association kicked off what the organization called its “biggest-ever consumer awareness campaign,” in which the so-called Audiobookmobile, a custom-wrapped truck, embarked on a five-city tour through the Northeast. The APA partnered with marketing agency GoGorilla Media to create the vehicle, which made stops at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore Comic Con; the Brooklyn Book Festival; and libraries in Philadelphia and Darien, Conn.
The truck was outfitted with speakers and a video screen to broadcast clips from the recording studio. Attendees could also spin a prize wheel, with help from volunteers from APA member publishers and GoGorilla Media’s professional street team, for a chance to win giveaways, including headphones, T-shirts, buttons, and posters. According to the APA, during the five-city tour, the volunteers gave away all 17,000 promotional items.
August 30, Washington, D.C.
The Audiobookmobile launched its first event at the National Book Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, attracting 850 visitors.
September 6, Baltimore
The truck made the quick trip from D.C. to Baltimore, hitting up Comic Con at the Baltimore Convention Center, attracting over 500 event goers, many of them in costume.
September 13, Darien, Conn.
The truck attracted 270 visitors in Darien, despite the rain. While there, the Audiobookmobile teamed up with the Darien Public Library to host the Golden Voices Theatre Performance and q&a with audiobook narrators Tavia Gilbert, Richard Ferrone, and Katherine Kellgren, who performed selections from titles on the theme of changing seasons.
September 21, Brooklyn, N.Y.
The truck descended on the Brooklyn Book Festival, attracting its biggest crowd of the tour. Over 1,500 attendees visited the truck, and the line for the prize wheel “never waned,” according to Katherine Punia, director of publicity, Penguin Random House Audio, and APA board member.
September 27, Philadelphia
The Audiobookmobile wrapped up its tour at the Free Library of Philadelphia, with another Golden Voices Theatre performance. Pictured (l. to r.), narrators Norman Dietz, Tavia Gilbert, and Katherine Kellgren.
