Jessica Valerie Rodriguez/Contributing Writer
Students and alumni can relish opportunities from Oscar Mayer’s Weinermobile. Oscar Mayer, the famous meat and cold cut production company, is well-known for a car that always catches attention. And that’s probably because it’s a 27-foot long by 11-feet high, hot dog on wheels: the Weinermobile.
Through the Weinermobile, Oscar Mayer promises a development in public relations, consumer promotions and grassroots marketing for anyone who participates in the Hotdogger program. The Hotdogger program, designed in 1988, doesn’t only give college alumni and students about to graduate the chance to operate the Weinermobile. It also allows students to live abroad as the weiner-shaped vehicle visits cities all over the country.
This past Wednesday, Feb. 27, Miami was one of these cities. More importantly, FIU was their main stop. Orientations for the hotdogger program were given at the Biscayne Bay campus, and Oscar Mayer’s spokespeople explained the opportunities one of the most highly recognized brands in the world has to offer. University alumna and hotdogger Angela provided details about what a hotdogger’s job entails.
A hotdogger’s goal and responsibility is to recruit from different colleges around the nation and to be the spokesperson at these events. Although she cannot reveal the winners, Angela said there are a lot of prospective Oscar Mayer spokespeople at the University. She admits, “the competition is tough, we can only pick 12 people nationwide and I saw a lot of great candidates here.” Oscar Mayer only accepts 12 out of 1,200 applicants.
So if the victory wasn’t yours, Angela assures a return to the University next year for a possible second opportunity. The event was very successful according to this hotdogger, who also hopes the panthers saw the great opportunities the Hotdogger program has to offer. Angela explained the Weinermobile is like a mobile marketing or public relations firm on wheels. It is a chance to interact with different customers by explaining to them the different Oscar Mayer products. This not only helps the company, but it helps students grow in their prospective fields.
Presentations that the hotdoggers will have to make gives them practice in public speaking, and getting in behind the scenes gives a view into the marketing world. Spokespeople will be able to speak on Angela’s behalf in front of cameras, train, work, and obtain the fun memories from traveling. Angela and her team are looking for outgoing, independent, trustworthy adventurous, travel lovers for the job. “You can only imagine all the fun that happens in a hotdog shaped car, that just says it all!” she said.
