The Zippo car: the star product-mobile of 1950s marketing

To grow its business, promote itself and introduce Americans to its products in the twentieth century, Zippo settled on a rather unusual campaign, one that very few companies had tried. The well-known lighter brand decided to turn a car into a replica of its own product, a car that would travel through the American states one after another over a set period. So it was that a vehicle in the colours and the shape of the emblematic Zippo lighter set off in 1940, on a journey that came to an end in the early 1950s.

What is a “product-mobile”?

Converting a vehicle to promote a company or a brand earns it the title of “product-mobile”. The format has plenty of advantages, along with a few drawbacks. The main advantage is the sheer amount of publicity it generates; the main disadvantage is financial, since buying the car, converting it, running it and repairing it when needed can add up to a considerable sum.

The very first Zippo car

It was towards the end of the 1940s that the lighter brand decided to embark on the product-mobile venture. Zippo bought a 1947 Chrysler Saratoga for $2,014, and Mr Blaisdell, the founder of the company, had it converted into a replica of the brand’s lighter for around $25,000. From 1940 until roughly 1950, the car crossed 48 American states. By the early 1950s, however, it needed extensive repairs to keep going. The cost proved far too high and the brand shelved the project, only to revive it in the late 1990s.

The Zippo Jeep, a new face for the brand

After the success of Zippo cars 1 and 2, the lighter brand kept up the momentum with a new vehicle conversion, this time on a Jeep. The off-road machine was unveiled in 2011 and combines power with design. The Zippo Jeep is mainly intended to travel to a large number of events, musical and otherwise, in order to promote the brand’s full range. As with the other Zippo-liveried vehicles, you can see it in person at the Zippo/Case Museum in Bradford, Pennsylvania.