It seems like a fairly common thing for specific makes and models of vehicles to be associated with certain products. The combination that comes immediately to mind is Red Bull energy drink and the modified Mini Coopers that were used to promote it. I’m not sure if Chicago had a higher concentration of these Minis than other cities, but for a while, it seemed as though these Red Bull-mobiles were everywhere for a while, giving “wings” to people in the form of free cans of this beverage being handed out by peppy youth.
When I had first moved to the Second City in my late twenties, I was doing the whole Red Bull-and-vodka thing at night on weekends before learning that drinking that really bad-for-you combo was like setting off a bomb in one’s heart. I have had the occasional energy drink in recent years when on a long-distance drive somewhere, but that’s usually about it. With all of that said, I feel that Red Bull chose wisely when selecting these perky Mini Coopers as a promo tool.
c. 2006 “Red Bull” Mini Cooper. Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. Saturday, 7/27/2013.
In the late 1990s, and before I was familiar with Red Bull (which then still seemed so foreign, so European!), I had discovered a different soft drink brand called SoBe that was new to the market around that time. These were a range of non-carbonated fruit juice blends and teas that featured added herbal ingredients that were intended to enhance some aspect of one’s performance. Some flavors of SoBe featured ginkgo extract, which was supposed to help you with focus and concentration. Guarana was featured in others that were intended to be alternatives to traditional caffeinated drinks. Other varieties included ginseng to help boost your immune system. These are just a few examples.
I discovered SoBe right around the time I was a newbie in my now twenty-plus year insurance career. One of my comfort rituals at that time was to start the day at my desk with a SoBe, which I fully believed was going to give me an edge as one of several technical assistants working in our little claims office. Oooo… let’s get that ginkgo today, because I really need to be able to short-term-memorize those policy numbers so I can fly on the ten-key!
I took it all so literally, even if I’ve had a healthy dose of skepticism in my probably since around middle school. My research method wasn’t entirely scientific, but I did basically try everything SoBe had to offer at the time to try to find out which flavors and additives had the best effects on my performance at work. Doing so was fun, even if I now suspect that any added benefits I perceived at the time were a result of the placebo effect.
To see this ’76 El Camino on State Street on a Tuesday after work about nine years ago was enough of a throwback for me, even without SoBe product placement on its sides. I can recall having seen maybe five Colonnade-era El Caminos in the wild over the past ten years or so, but this one came rolling downtown on a main thoroughfare with “TRY EVERYTHING” emblazoned across its sides in green, capital letters, over a custom blue and white color scheme.
I’m probably not the most carefree person you’re ever going to meet. Ziplining over the length of the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas last year probably wouldn’t have happened absent the strong encouragement of the three friends with whom I shared that experience. (Peer pressure!) I may often be silently calculating the costs and benefits of things, but the idea of trying new things does appeal to me, especially due to my risk-averse default setting. This El Camino served as a rolling testimony to the idea of open-mindedness as a life philosophy.
This Chevrolet is a model that did try everything in terms of its target market. I think it’s fitting that a vehicle that’s basically half-car, half-truck would seemingly be well suited to fulfill many roles and duties. It could be a small, no-frills pickup. It could be legitimately sporty and fast with the SS models. Starting with the downsized ’78 models, the Black Knight (1978 only) and Royal Knight (’79 – ’83) appearance packages made the El Camino look like the closest thing to a Pontiac Trans Am with a cargo bed. The Colonnade generation that ran from 1973 through ’77 was the flossiest, most luxurious El Camino of them all, and our featured ’76 even featured the newly introduced, stacked, rectangular headlights that were in vogue for about five minutes in the 1970s.
Our featured ’76 was one of just over 50,000 El Caminos produced for the model year. A 250 cubic inch inline six was the base engine, with optional V8s available that displaced 305, 350, and 400 cubic inches. Though several manual transmissions were offered, this one probably has a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission. Base curb weight was around 3,800 pounds. The pilot of this fine machine looked completely comfortable behind the wheel of this 215.2″-long machine during rush hour, amidst buses, taxis, other frantic drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. I seem to recall that this car had California plates, though I can’t find proof. Driving one of these El Caminos cross country would certainly be an adventure, though I’m not sure I’d include that experience in my list of “musts” in my attempts to try everything.
Getting back to the tie-in between this El Camino and the line of SoBe soft drinks, I’m still quite sure what was intended by that slogan, nine years later. Was it that drinking a SoBe would make one look more adventurous, or was this phrase chosen because a new line of new combinations of flavors that sounded questionable on the surface were about to be introduced? The world may never know, though it appears that SoBes soft drinks are still being sold, as the above picture of one appears to be recent. I may still be working from home at present due to the current pandemic, but it may be time for me to find a SoBe somewhere (hopefully with added ginseng or ginkgo) to see if it helps me do more insurance. For old time’s sake.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011.
Brochure photo and SoBe picture both as found on the internet.
The ultimate coupe Ute.
It really is. When I think of this type of vehicle, I think of the El Camino. Even similar, custom utes become something-“Caminos” or “El”-somethings. They defined the segment for me, and probably for many others.
I have tried neither SoBe nor an ElKy, but would be open to either.
I am intrigued by the product placement graphics on cars. I remember that before they used Minis, the Red Bull cars were tiny SUVs – Suzuki Samurai, I think. Somewhere I have a picture of a Chevy SSR touting Red Gold tomato products.
A cool find.
Red Bull used almost all the Suzuki SUVs I think. My college campus had 2-door Sidekicks before we got Minis, and I remember X-90s as well. Looks they used the Jimny/Sidekick overseas too
Ltd, thank you for these examples. You had me thinking about whether such a vehicle as these various Suzukis still exists on the market, and I honestly can’t think of any – at least here in the U.S.. That’s probably why Red Bull went to the trouble and expense of modifying a Mini Hatch.
X90
Jimny
Samurai
Come to think of it, I have never driven an El Camino, either. The truth is that the only pickups I have ever driven are Chevrolet C/Ks.
I have never seen one the “Red Gold” SSRs, but I’m assuming they were relatively rarer, given that the SSR was not cheap.
So is this post about the El Camino, or the Red Bull vehicles? Because we don’t have an El Camino with Red Bull markings, right? Instead we have an El Camino that reminds you of the Red Bull vehicles. Yet we have a little history about the El Camino’s last generation?
I think I need a Red Bull to figure this out.
Nope, you just need glasses. It’s about an El Camino with SoBe markings.
Ahh – I was wondering what those gecko things were.
SoBe.
Needs to be larger.
I miss the Beef and Brandy on State Street- used to go to lunch there a lot when I worked in the area.
For years there was one of the Red Bull Minis parked in my neighborhood, but I never saw it actually driven. It would just seem to move street spots every once in a while.
The SoBe ElCa is a nice counterpart to the Mini. I think back then I would have taken the Mini, but after leasing 2 of them, I’d take the Chevy this time.
Beef N’ Brandy was the best. It was a true slice of old-school Chicago dining right there on State Street, and I’m still upset that it’s closed every time I pass it. It was part of a disappearing breed of inexpensive family restaurants that have that original, vintage decor.
I thought it a great thing that I was able to photograph the El Camino passing in front of Beef N’ Brandy.
This El Camino at 215.2″ is nearly as large as the related Chevelle Malibu Wagon in length at 215.4″ and still a bit longer than the 1977 Impala/Caprice Classic Wagon at 214.7″. Yet nearly 3″ longer than the Monte Carlo and way much longer than either the Chevelle Malibu 4 Doors & 2 Door Coupe from which this pickup car was based on.
You’re right – so much length! I hope the driver didn’t have to squeeze into a small, city parking space or garage, but was just driving through.
I could never look at those Red Bull vehicles without thinking “Rocket Assist”.
Guess I’m a child of the 50’s and 60’s!
A great find from your archives Joseph! I used to collect tonnes of Matchbox and Hot Wheels die cast cars as a young kid during the Colonnade El Camino era. And was surprised, and slightly disappointed then, neither offered a toy version of these.
Speaking of the 1990s, and specialty drinks. I recall, how closely Fruitopia was associated with Subway restaurants. For many, it was the default beverage with a sub. It was very popular. But as more consumers saw the high sugar/glucose-fructose content of the drink, sales started to tank badly.
Closest I came to a Hot Wheels mid-sized Chev was the Monte Carlo stock car they offered around ’75-’76.
Fruitopia – so Nineties! I hadn’t thought about that drink probably since VH1 was airing “I Love The ’90s” about ten years ago! I don’t particularly remember drinking one, though I’m sure I did, as I did like Subway.
I barely remember SoBe, and I’m sure I’ve never had one.
But I’m curious here — I wonder if the SoBe company purposefully sought out distinctive-looking cars like this and paid people for ads on them? I can see an upstart company – seeking to distinguish itself from its competition – placing ads on eye-catching cars, and then paying the owners/drivers to drive around certain areas. We may never know, but I’m curious if that was the idea here. The graphics look too good to be generic (i.e., not vehicle-specific). If so, it’s awfully creative. To me, anyway. If not, well, I still like it.
The graphics actually looked like one of those wraps – I’m fairly certain “TRY ANYTHING” (gotta love the all-caps) wasn’t actually painted on the side.
But, your theory makes sense. I wonder how much money the owner / driver got, if that was the case.
I was curious about this so I looked it up, and found a 2000 Wall Street Journal article about SoBe’s preference for ‘guerrilla marketing efforts’ such as vehicle wraps. Their strategy at the time was to avoid falling into the trap that Snapple did, which went for a hip new drink, to a boring one relatively quickly in part because the market efforts went mainstream and alienated its old customers.
Looks like SoBe was known, for a time, for wraps on VW Buses. I didn’t come across any reference to other older cars, but I presume (even though your photo was 11 years after the WSJ article), that having such an ad on an attention-getting older car was very much part of SoBe’s plan.
Amazing. Thanks for doing that research! I honestly don’t remember seeing any of the VW buses with SoBe wraps on them, but I’m sure they were out there. And now I feel like looking for a Snapple at the same time I look for a SoBe.
There were companies that did this. One was “Beetleboards”, where owners of the VW New Beetle would have a corporate logo wrap put on their cars and get paid a fee or advertising. This may have started with the original beetle.
I also saw my 1st Chrysler PT Cruiser in Door County Wisconsin, also with a corporate wrap. So I’m guessing this used to be common with novelty cars.
Great essay! I was long out of school so I rarely if ever saw Red Bull promotional vehicles. In the early 1960’s when I was in school, the cigarette companies gave out sample four-pack boxes of smokes for us to enjoy. Enjoy? YUK! I am not a smoker. As for the El Camino, really fun to see.
Thanks, Thomas! Thirty years after your experience with the cigarette promos, I remember being in college and representatives of cigarette companies would come into bars and coffee houses and get us to sign up on some mailing list and provide a bunch of personal information for one free pack of smokes. (A whole pack.)
Of course, I did it, but I remember at some point being really irritated that I kept getting mail about it. This was before my regular use of e-mail, which would have been just as annoying!
Maybe “try everything” was inspired by the Elc’s taillight and rear bumper design that was prone to drinking everything the road offered up?
With that, everything was tried to protect the corrosion prone wiring and taillight sockets to keep the lamps burning.
1976 was about the time I riding my bicycle to the local “dealers’ row” and collecting all the brochures I could haul away. I distinctly remember that blue El Camino pic. I also distinctly recall the payload specs. It was a paltry 800 pounds. Compared to pickup trucks:, which generally hauled minimum of 1500 pounds, it was shockingly low, even to this 12 year old.
I never was one for the new “hip” drinks, though I did like “Jolt” back in the ‘80s. Red Bull tastes like panther piss. Give me a Coke and Twinky, and I’m charged up for a hour or two.
I would never deface my El Camino with a temporary wrap as I am very happy to have a unique car to enjoy. I enjoyed your article non the less. Thanks for sharing it.
Nice truck! Leaves are changing here, too.
Try everything…but you’ll still want an El Camino….