From the news archives 45 years ago: Tiki sells cars

In Eugene, Oregon, that used car salesman might be wearing a grass skirt (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4pF9x-cDGsoC&dat=19660808&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 13)...

Eugene Register-Guard August 8, 1966

-Tom

Great find, Tom! Ford actually had a Tiki campaign called the "Trade winds" campaign in 1963.
I have been saving this material for one of my future publications, but here is a little sneak peak:

Trade in your used Ford for a new one! The salesmen were the "Traders" :

A friend found a whole unused kit of paper material meant for dressing up a dealership.

I have never found any reference to this campaign, I wonder how much it was implemented.

Sven, I've not found the Tiki graphics in an ad, but elements of this campaign clearly happened. For cost purposes, the graphics may not have been included in the ads, but were, perhaps, at the physical dealerships. For evidence, I submit the following from Google News archives (see http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=rwEhk56xNqMC&dat=19630201&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 7)...

Lakeland Ledger February 1, 1963

Lakeland is in Florida.

The "The Trade Winds are Blowing!" promotion phrase also appeared in 1963 ads from California and New York, for example...

http://www.torranceca.gov/archivednewspapers/Herald/1962%20Dec%206%20-%201963%20March%2024/PDF/00000604.pdf

http://www.torranceca.gov/archivednewspapers/Herald/1962%20Dec%206%20-%201963%20March%2024/PDF/00000592.pdf

http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/Caledonia%20NY%20Advertiser/Caledonia%20NY%20Advertiser%201963%20%20Grayscale/Caledonia%20NY%20Advertiser%201963%20%20Grayscale%20-%200086.pdf

-Tom

Bigbro,

Cool stuff from the Trade Winds campaign. Interesting that they used a cannibal image for the name tag! Perfect fit for a used car salesman.

I posted this ad with an A-Frame dealership

On the Pacific Coast Highway.

DC

Thanks guys, excellent! Now WHERE is the Eugene/Oregon citizen that took pictures of that amazing sounding display in 1966 !:

"Visit our TIKI HUT, see TIKI GODS, see the beautiful MONTJUICH POOL lighted by all the colors of the rainbow and controlled by Hawaiian music..."

YESSSS I want to see that! But what is a "Montjuich pool"? Well I had to dig, and this is what I found:

MONTJUIC MAGIC FOUNTAIN | FONT MAGICA | BARCELONA MAGIC FOUNTAIN SHOW
Barcelona’s magic fountain and light show located in the center of Plaza Espanya at the foot of The Palau Nacional, is a spectacle not to be missed. Originally the font magica was built in 1929 for the Universal Exhibition by engineer Carles Buïgas i Sans. The Barcelona Magic Fountain show was originally intended to show the possibilities of filtered electrical light and as incredible as it is to see now, you can only imagine how amazed the spectators were back in 1929!

The Barcelona Magic Fountain Show has around 2.5 million visitors per year and the operation times vary through-out the year.

So what might the Eugene car dealership fountain have looked like? Perhaps like THIS:

I got to witness this corny watershow in action at BULLWINKLE'S restaurant at the FAMILY FUN CENTER in UPLAND before it closed. We are talking AQUAMATION here! http://www.aquamationinc.com/

The same Family Fun Center that had not only a great outdoor miniature golf course, but an INDOOR one, with one hole with TIKIS!:

(Yes, they are horribly painted, and yes, that is a Humpty Dumpty sculpture in the background)

I was privileged to shoot a ridiculous music video at that location:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZPP_o9M1AM

Unfortunately, only brief clips of the scene where Gary Coleman dances with the BOB BAKER marionettes on the Tiki hole made it into the video, see the ending for the best shot.

BUT I digress far too much, back to CAR DEALERSHIP TIKI here, please. :)

Sven, I came across this Grand Opening ad by Aloha Motors that confirms the Barcelona inspiration for the water display (see Google News http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4pF9x-cDGsoC&dat=19660520&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 24)

Eugene Register-Guard May 20, 1966

And here's an ad that preceded it (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4pF9x-cDGsoC&dat=19660310&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 26)...

Eugene Register-Guard May 10, 1966

By the fall of 1966, the ads were considerably diminished in grandiosity (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4pF9x-cDGsoC&dat=19660908&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 32)...

Eugene Register-Guard September 8, 1966

-Tom

Thanks, I wonder if the reaction to their efforts was underwhelming....

If only photography would have been as easy and common as clicking away digitally nowadays, I bet there would have been pictures of their Tiki Hut and tropical fountain display out there. But it is unlikely that, unless they hired a commercial photographer for advertising purposes or had local press at the opening, anybody took pics of this.

Slightly off topic, but how about a nice A-Frame Tiki Yacht Sales building.

On Shelter Island of course.

DC

Ford also had a Hawaiian Holidays sales program in 1963.

That featured a custom Tiki swizzle with the Ren Clark style.

DC

DC, quite an extraordinary find... a Tiki swizzle stick associated with an auto sales incentive program! Here’s a little follow-up news snippet from the Google News archives about the contest and the winner...

The Deseret News August 24, 1963 (page 4)

In another part of the country, the effort to win in that Ford district is underway...

Spartanburg Herald-Journal June 13, 1963 (page 16)

And they won...

Spartanburg Herald-Journal July 10, 1963 (page 23)

-Tom

Whoa DC, dat's sum nice swizzle! Do you own eet?

How weird that the Hawaiian Holiday campaign was not cross-promoted with the Tradewinds campaign, both happened in 1963.

You are a treasure hunter. Wendy

So here is another Trade Winds ad from Ford, this one is from 1980. They had prizes in the Polynesian Pond.

As for the swizzles, here is another version for the “Chrysler-Plymouth 100 Day dash”that was posted by Bosko, the supreme collector of the swizzle.

An finally the Kia dealership that is actually located in an old Tiki restaurant building for the South Seas in Hawaii.

See more here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=36241&forum=2&start=0&hilite=south

DC

Nice research, DustyCajun! Especially like the tie-in to the former Polynesian restaurant; that's truly a case for Tiki selling cars! Looks like the Kia dealership retained the basic external features of the South Seas.

Here's a much earlier Life Magazine ad that capitalizes on a Hollywood star and a movie with settings that ranged from one exotic port to another, including Hawaii...

Life Magazine November 21, 1938

-Tom