Lipton, the iconic tea brand, is taking over the Route 66 town of Pontiac, Illinois, from June 8-10 as part of National Ice Tea Day weekend to offer free tea to visitors, unveiling a Lipton mural in its downtown and renaming Route 66 as “The Lipton Highway.”
Lipton also is collaborating with TripAdvisor.com to share “2018’s Route 66 Road Trip Gems.”
Lipton worked with TripAdvisor and its database of more than 600 million reviews to create a list of the route’s notable spots for vacationers of all ages.
Lipton is launching “Refreshingly Road Trippin’ with Lipton,” the event in Pontiac that invites consumers to experience – and taste – some of the best of the Route 66 road trip experience.
Event attendees will be given Lipton Iced Tea, including the recently launched Lipton Iced Tea with a Splash of Juice in three flavors — Berry, Tropical and Pear & Peach — paired with classic American roadside fare inspired by some of the famous stops on the 2018 Route 66 Road Trip Gems list.
The spots on the list at LiptonRoadTrip.com:
- Bernardo’s II Restaurant, Pontiac, Illinois
- Le Roy’s, Monrovia, California
- Big Texan Steak Ranch (Amarillo, Texas)
- Britten Leaning Water Tower (Groom, Texas)
- Cozy Dog Drive In (Springfield, Illinois)
- Jigg’s Smokehouse (Clinton, Oklahoma)
- Meramec Caverns (Stanton, Missouri)
- Old Riverton Store (Riverton, Kansas)
- Ollie’s Station Restaurant (Tulsa)
- Singing Road (Tijeras, New Mexico)
- The Chili Parlor (Springfield, Illinois)
- Westside Lilo’s Cafe (Seligman, Arizona)
As for Pontiac:
“The city of Pontiac is all about bringing families together to celebrate the adventures that happen on road trips,” said Ellie Alexander, the Tourism Director of the City of Pontiac. “Lipton has been there with us during those moments and we are overjoyed to celebrate National Iced Tea Day with Lipton and encourage travelers to get out there to make great memories with their family and friends while exploring all road trip attractions, such as Pontiac, across the U.S.A.”
(Image courtesy of Lipton)
Free tea is nice, but corporatism isn’t. I’m real sure Lipton has been with Pontiac during all their “moments’. Snark.
Uggh, I hate it when graphic designers use interstate sign colors and shields in connection with Route 66. How hard is it to look at a US Highway shield and see that it differs drastically from an Interstate Highway shield?
Also, that mural is stupid. The lush highlands and narrow gorge pictured have nothing to do with Route 66.
Shame on Lipton for their unmitigated idiocy — at least in the graphic arts department of their company and/or ad agency.