carwash.com contributor Anne Mauler published an article earlier this year that dives into how a popular carwash (and one that she happens to be the vice president of marketing at) is leveraging NFTs to gain members. The company in question has a 10-year-plus history in San Diego, California and prides itself on unparalleled customer service, a commitment to sustainability, and more.
In the past, the company has run promotions that encourage almost cult-like behavior. They have a series of air fresheners that loyal customers go crazy for – and now they’ve found a way to turn that kind of gamification into something that fits the moment.
According to Mauler’s article, “The Passport to Fun promotion amplified fans’ collector behavior and catapulted the company into the web3 metaverse through the distribution of air freshener-themed NFT collectibles — the first in the carwash space.”
To access the NFTs, members had to go to multiple sites, unlocking various “prize tiers” as they went. While this might seem counterintuitive given the general customer attitude that things should be easier and require less time and effort, it actually encouraged repeat customers to expand their range of experience with the car wash and try out new locations. In the time since launching the promotion, the car wash company has discussed possible new store openings, largely due to this promotion’s ability to expand the footprint of their typical customer.
The car wash featured in Mauler’s article is doing a lot of things right. But the reason it’s working for them is actually quite simple.
Customer experience matters, regardless of the industry you’re in. The way that this business has been able to tap into the cultural zeitgeist and get the attention of customers and the media with this innovative promotion has put them into the conversation and earned them the label of “innovator”.
But perhaps one of the best aspects of this promotion is that it seamlessly integrated all the different channels of communication and ways of reaching people that were at the carwash’s disposal. Mauler explains more, saying “The company wanted to ensure the cutting-edge technology was easy to understand and adopt, so user-friendly emails and blogs were written to explain saving and adding to existing web3 wallets.”
The creativity and strategy at work here is obviously a one-of-a-kind approach to carwash promotion, but there are many lessons to be learned from it.
One of the reasons we find this promotion so impressive is because it finds a way to integrate seamlessly with Soapy Joe’s larger marketing strategy. The actual NFTs are based on the design of the air fresheners that the car wash is already known for giving out, meaning that it works to reinforce the existing brand image. Additionally, the NFTs are redeemed through an email link that Soapy Joe’s sends to its customers after each visit. The email open rate on these is is 71% – an almost unbelievably high statistic here.
This means that not only are loyal customers are tuned in to what Soapy Joe’s is saying, but new customers that found the company due to the promotion are now immediately integrated into the email list.
Read the rest of the article for more information of the specifics of the campaign, and for more insights and information on the carwashing industry as a whole, check out our latest blog posts or contact us to learn how Hover Architecture can turn your design dreams into a reality.