Many carwash owners have tried television to get their
message across to potential and regular customers.
Last year's Best in Carwash Advertising [December 1997]
contest highlighted several efforts by operators across
the country.
Operators offered many strategies in last year's contest.
Winner Jay Costas of Soft Touch Car Wash in Valparaiso,
IN, uses humor to get his message across. Runner-up
Car Lovers of Australia used animated dancing, singing
vehicles.
Willamantic Car Wash in Connecticut also uses humor
for its commercial. The wash has three spots:
* The "Vacuum Boogie" highlighting the wash's
powerful vacs
* "Three Bucks, Wow" featuring an automatic
special
* "Cow Wash" showing the many things that
can be washed in the location's self-serve bays.
Bill Moody, owner of Ambassador Car Wash, Lafayette,
LA, used his children to show off his carwash and express lube.
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The owner of Walpole Car Wash in Massachusetts, Anthony
W. Sottile, uses cable to promote his location. The
wash won an honorable mention in last year's Best of
Carwashing Advertising contest. Sottile offered this
strategy:
"We run a total of 20 spots per week between 6
a.m. and 12 p.m. on ESPN, USA, TNT, Lifetime, Discovery
and A&E, reaching 60,000 households with cable,"
says Sottile.
"Our primary market consists of about 25,000 households.
However, as we are in a high commuting area, our draw
has reached beyond our primary market."
The primary market is upscale in both income and median
home prices, he says. "As such, we have chosen
a straightforward, impactful visual and strong, professional
audio. We receive both comments and compliments on
our ads."
As a result of advertising, says Sottile, he has both
increased business and maintained a consistent daily
volume in the off-season. Operators with similar equipment
in comparable locations without TV advertising report
less volume.
"Additionally, we are consistently drawing the
more expensive, better maintained vehicles, which has
also increased our average revenue per wash,"
adds Sottile.
Advertising with consistency has returned many times
the investment of $12,500 per year which without bonus
spots represents a cost of $11.60 per 30-second advertisement
to reach 60,000. |
