If you think about it, it’s not too often that you see a box truck TV commercial.
After steering away from TV ads the last 34 years, straight truck rental giant U-Haul thought it was about a time they aired one—but it won’t be about a truck.
For about the next two weeks U-Haul will be airing ads in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City to promote its U-Box portable moving and storage containers. The 30-second ads will run for two more weeks starting Aug. 14.
“It’s about creating awareness,” said Sam J. Shoen, U-Box program manager. “U-Haul is known for our trucks, trailers and towing devices, along with our self-storage facilities and moving supplies. Because those products are so closely associated with U-Haul, not everyone knows about the convenience U-Box can provide for the DIY moving public.
“U-Box combines the benefits of portable containers with the vast infrastructure and expertise that we’ve gained over 72 years of business. We can arrange for customers’ belongings to be shipped anywhere, even overseas.”
The commercial speaks to the product’s convenience and closes with the slogan, “U-Box by U-Haul: Move at Your Pace.” The ad depicts families preparing for their moves with differing levels of urgency as U-Box containers are stationed in their driveways. U-Box containers offer 257 cubic feet of space and one-ton capacity.
“At U-Haul, we know every family moves at their own pace,” the ad states. “That’s why we have U-Box, where you can pack in a day, in a week, in a month. We can store it or ship it – how and when you want it.”
The ad indirectly references Moving Help, a U-Haul-powered online marketplace for reliable local moving labor services, when it asks, “Don’t want to lift a finger? We’ve got you covered there, too.”
Manley Films & Media, an acclaimed Phoenix-based marketing firm, produced the commercial.
U-Haul co-founder L.S. Shoen was featured 34 years ago in the last U-Haul commercial. It was a 30-second spot with a simple message: “U-Haul will not be undersold, and we guarantee it!” L.S. appeared with a self-moving family and Sandy, the lead dog from the 1982 movie Annie.
Joe Shoen, son of L.S. and father of Sam, has directed U-Haul operations since 1987.
“There’s a misconception that U-Haul doesn’t advertise,” Sam J. Shoen stated. “The reality is we prefer to invest our customers’ dollars into a better product and service, and by doing so, our equipment on the roads sells itself in communities across North America. That’s why our fleet imaging is so much more extensive than the competition.”
For additional details on U-Box dimensions, delivery options, storage solutions, and domestic and international quotes, please visit uhaul.com.
