Harvey’s is hitting the road with a burger-toting RV, as it invests more in experiential marketing and continues to thank frontline workers.

The QSR is giving away 50,000 free flame-grilled burgers via a touring bus, building on CSR programs in March, when it gave frontline healthcare workers and their families 50% off, as well the Bauer hockey stick outreach from earlier this year in response to COVID-19.

“We were talking for a while about some form of food truck and getting on the road across Canada to drive more awareness about the Harvey’s brand, as we are relatively small versus competitors,” according to Chelsea Kellock, senior director of marketing for Harvey’s Canada. Kellock adds that the RV offers an opportunity to build the brand in eastern and western Canada, outside of its major base in Ontario.

She says this is Harvey’s first major experiential push and that the RV will be equipped with a number of safety features in addition to the aforementioned social distance hockey stick, hand sanitizer stations, stanchions and signage with instructions for ordering. The brand worked with Second Dimensional International, an experiential agency that has helped execute the Rogers Hometown Hockey tour.

Kellock emphasizes that the brand is focusing on minimal advertising for the program, particularly engaging with local media, some social and PR (by Agnostic), so as not to attract overly large crowds, saying that the focus is primarily on frontline workers. In addition, Harvey’s is not disclosing the exact locations of the giveaways ahead of its arrival.

According to Kellock the program speaks to Harvey’s Canadian positioning and 60-year history because an RV is the ultimate every person-style of traveling that will resonate with consumers broadly. She adds that customization is a massive part of its strategy, and that it’s providing individual kits for burgers so customers can select their own toppings.

For a limited time, the brand will also give Canadians the chance to “pass along the thanks” to their own community hero. Participants will be asked to share a photo at the RV and tag the deserving individual, who will then be eligible to receive a free coupon for their own “Thanks” burger at their local Harvey’s location.