It’s been called childish, inane, banal, senseless, and ridiculous by some, but many travelers look forward to Veilcorp’s April 1st marketing campaign every year. The company’s unique annual announcements have become a much loved company tradition, even though a few complain that the campaigns make the 1st the worst day to travel. This year was no different. At midnight in Lahaina the company made their announcement, and customers could smell the spud in the water, Veilcorp would be celebrating “Potato Day” for the next 24 hours.
Veilcorp has a long history of promoting Lahaina innovation and special events says Brie Howard, VP of special projects and strategic growth.
“Veilad pioneered one of the most popular electric vehicle charging campaigns in the world. With the help of our sponsored-species partners, the Duracave elephant herd remains viable and happy, and Womanimal nearly saved the wild cheetah population from extinction. The company has given a young man born in the Lahaina station free travel for life, and offered the public some of the most advanced facial recognition software available. However, I think Potato Day is special. Smashed, whipped, baked, sauteed, grilled, boiled, or fried, the noble potato is almost as versatile as Veilcorp itself. The tater has spread across the world, connecting cultures and people, a perfect metaphor for what we strive for every day at Veilcorp. Immediately upon reaching their destinations, customers will see a sign that says, ‘Caution: Incoming Potato’ and our special gravity fed delivery system will drop a potato. This will be the first integration of such a system ever with our veil technology, making the whole process very exciting.”
In addition to their complementary potato, Veilcorp customers will be able to enjoy special potato oriented events unique to their location. According to a press release, the Lahaina station will feature seminars from world famous botanist Adler Walters, who will describe the tuber’s importance in history. “First cultivated by the Inca people around 8,000 BC, the Conquistadors discovered the flavor of roasted potatoes when they conquered Peru. To put it simply, they were blown away, and brought the new food to Europe. The new crop was easy to grow and very nutritious. A superb source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, copper, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid, with antioxidant qualities, the potato can be considered a super-food. They were worth almost as much as gold during the Alaskan gold rush, and became the first vegetable grown in space, when NASA successfully grew them back in October, 1995. It is now one of the most popular crops on the planet…. The potato is a traveler and a pioneer, just like Veilcorp.”
Reactions to the Potato Day campaign have been mixed so far. Some food security experts have called it wasteful and short-sighted. Advocate Kimberly Hekili says, “If Veilcorp spent as much time and money trying to end hunger as it does being “quirky” once a year, thousands of kids wouldn’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.” Numerous online auctions are already up, offering a hungry public a chance to own a Veilcorp potato. With prices soaring as high as $5000, there’s no doubt that these potatoes are hot.
COO Lisa Hunt says she stands behind the company’s Potato Day offering. “There’s nothing like having a potato around in case of an emergency,” she says.
“Not all marketing campaigns are created equal, but I think it’s fair to say that we hit it out of the park this time. I’ve been assured by our London station that everyone is having a spuddy good time with the new promotion. We’re including a voucher with every potato, redeemable for preparation and cooking at thousands of participating restaurants across the globe. We want to make sure even our busiest travelers get a chance to enjoy the starchy goodness we’re handing out today.”
Hunt says the promotion will continue while supplies last, and hopes that everyone appreciates the pilgrimage of the potato across the globe, and their own journey as well.
