Big Idaho Potato Truck Wins Award For NYC Publicity Event

The Big Idaho Potato Truck has been making heads turn for six years. The splash it made in NYC in August 2016 was so big it earned the 6-ton spud the prestigious Bulldog Reporter's Silver Award for Best Special Event. More than 200 submissions were received and judged by journalists (including a Pulitzer Prize winner) from several media outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today, Forbes and The Oregonian.  

“We knew if we wanted to generate excitement among consumers and get media coverage in NYC, the country’s biggest media market, we’d have to do something out of the ordinary,” says Frank Muir, president and CEO, Idaho Potato Commission (IPC). “Putting the truck on a barge was a home run. The event generated more than 100 million media impressions with stories in many news outlets including the NYC taxi cabs. Even the NYPD released a special bulletin informing folks of a giant potato on the Hudson River. This event was especially important to us because New Yorkers are the biggest consumers of Idaho potatoes.”

In August 2016, millions of New Yorkers, tourists and reporters were able to see the Big Idaho Potato Truck as it traveled on a barge around the Statue of Liberty, under the Brooklyn Bridge, in front of the Freedom Tower and up the Hudson River. In many markets, the truck works with local non-profits to help raise awareness and funds for organizations like Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen in Manhattan.