Generating positive publicity can be a challenge for any organization, but the job gets a lot easier when enthusiastic fans write country music songs about your group.
That scenario recently played out for Women In Trucking (WIT), the Plover, Wis.-based nonprofit that works to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry.
Inspired by their work, professional truck driver—and part-time troubadour—Joe Martin composed a ditty he called the "Women in Trucking Song" and performed it himself in a YouTube video that he posted in August. The tune is a paean to WIT's mission, featuring lyrics like:
"Got a group of ladies, in case you didn't know.
They're driving them big trucks, up and down the road.
I want to check 'em out, a group that's absolutely stunning!
Talking about women ... Women In Trucking!"
"It was a surprise when he sent it to me! We love it," Ellen Voie, president and chief executive officer of Women In Trucking, said in an e-mail.
The song was far from Martin's debut. The bearded crooner has also recorded an exercise video for truck drivers called "Truckercise"—featuring workouts like "running in place, while holding onto the steering wheel"—and an ode to his favorite breakfast food, "Bacon."
It's too early to say whether Martin's song will take its place on the Top 40 charts alongside other classics of the genre, like Norma Jean's 1968 hit "Truck Driving Woman."
Gartner, Inc.