QUILLIN'S IS GIVING ITS LINES AN AIRING ON A BUS

RICHARD TURCSIK

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Quillin's here is using a local bus to drive its Center Store grocery sales.

The nine-unit independent, serviced by the Fleming Cos. distribution center here, has painted one side of a city bus to show a plethora of Center Store products flowing out of a Quillin's paper grocery bag. Items rolling around town include DiGiorno Rising Crust pizza; Oreo cookies; Nestle Crunch, chocolate, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth candy bars; Western barbecue sauce; and Kemps fat-free ice cream.

Phil Quillin, company president, said the bus has been a hit with shoppers and the riding public.

"It took the city by surprise when it came out," Quillin said. "None of the other buses have ads. We are the only one."

Quillin's competitors were also "taken by surprise," he added.

Quillin's has created some novel campaigns to promote its rolling billboard. During the first week, for instance, it ran a "Ride the Bus Free on Quillin's" promotion. "Every person who got on the bus got a coupon for $1 off our Emerald Gold private-label fresh deli pizza," Quillin said. "That worked out well. Our redemption was pretty good on that."

In-store, the bus has been tied to displays, and signs featuring a picture of the bus have been placed throughout the aisles.

The vehicle has been on the road since mid-May, and Quillin's has a contract with the bus company to keep the ad up for two years. Quillin said the retailer paid $4,800 to paint the bus, and also has to pay the bus company a monthly ad rental.

Quillin's made a deal with the manufacturers to share some of the cost of the ad.

"We gave the manufacturers a very low price to do it, and it is good exposure to them," he said. "We're picking up most of it ourselves, and they are taking a little bit of the cost. Since it is all products that we sell, it is an ad for us also."

Quillin said it has been hard to measure whether the bus has had an effect on sales of the featured items. "We do a lot of business with Nestle in terms of co-op efforts, and they are very happy with it," he added.

Quillin said he got the idea for the bus while traveling out West, where he saw buses painted with a giant dollar bill and a leopard to advertise a local zoo.

He suggested the idea to a local bus company and was granted permission to paint a bus.