Photo: Courtesy of Kraft Heinz
Say goodbye to Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile and hello to the Frankmobile — the new name for the brand's beloved hot dog-shaped vehicle.
Driving the news: Kraft Heinz announced this week that it renamed the iconic vehicle for the first time since 1936 to pay homage to a new recipe for Oscar Mayer's 100% beef franks, which debut nationwide this month.
- The fleet of six vehicles rolled out with new decals, the Frank Whistles (formerly Wiener Whistles) with a renamed class of Hotdoggers driving them known as Frankfurters.
- The rebrand is part of the "Keep It Oscar" campaign that began in 2021 as a turnaround strategy to grow and reinvigorate Oscar Mayer.
Context: The announcement came before Memorial Day weekend, which is seen as the unofficial start of summer and the beginning of barbecue and grilling season.
- Inflation isn’t expected to impact hot dog sales like last summer.
- Frankfurter prices were up 2.2% in the last 12 months through April, according to the latest Consumer Price Index. April prices did show a 2.5% decline from March.
Zoom out: Kraft Heinz has given new names to popular products before.
- Last June, the company announced Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was getting a rebrand with a new blue box and shorter name, Kraft Mac & Cheese.
- This week, the brand unveiled a new frozen Kraft Mac & Cheese to major retailers nationwide.
What we're watching: The Frankmobile’s upcoming stops can be tracked at OscarMayer.com/Frankmobile.
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