SUN VALLEY, Idaho-The Idaho Potato Commission is banking that the 6-ton Russet it's hauled 12,000 miles through more than 30 states this year on a tour celebrating the organization's 75th anniversary will remain a hot potato during a second trek.
The Great Big Idaho Potato Truck, in the midst of a trip that started in April and continues into October, will roll again next summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day, IPC President and CEO Frank Muir announced Aug. 30 during the Idaho Grower Shippers Association's annual meeting.
Muir said the massive potato replica has generated media coverage in every market it's entered, promoting the Idaho potato brand with roughly 100 million media impressions-a measure of audience sizes of media outlets that have carried the story.
It's also visited more than 100 retailers and made appearances by iconic national landmarks including the U.S. Capitol, the Statue of Liberty and the St. Louis Gateway Arch.
"If you can imagine your life walking around having paparazzi taking pictures of you every day, that's what the Tater Team experiences," Muir said of the staff manning the truck. "There's no way to measure that. Everybody has a picture of the potato truck on their cell phone."
SOURCE: John O'Connell, Capital Press
http://www.capitalpress.com/newsletter/JO-IPCUpdate-083012