Company: Soapy Joes Car Wash
Company Description: Soapy Joe’s Car Wash is a family owned and operated business in San Diego County. We’re dedicated to providing quality service, customer satisfaction and eco-friendly technology, all at a great value. With multiple locations offering convenient hours, lightning fast express service and premium upgrades, we make it easy for everyone to enjoy their ride. Because of that we were voted “Best Car Wash"
Nomination Category: Marketing Campaign Categories - Industry
Nomination Sub Category: Marketing Campaign of the Year - Automotive - Aftermarket
 Nomination Title: Soapy Joe’s Calm Strips Campaign
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated campaign or program, OR written answers to the questions for this category? CHOOSE ONE:
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
May 1, 2023
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 135 words used.
The innovative Soapy Joe’s Calm Strips campaign was inspired by an interesting statistic that the company uncovered while conducting consumer research: that 1 in 3 people consider car washing to be part of their regular self-care routine.
The team looked to leverage this connection between car washing and self-care to create a memorable brand experience that reinforced these positive associations and provided a novel way to connect feelings of calm and clean with the Soapy Joe’s brand.
In the commoditized industry of automotive services, it can be hard to stand out or create brand engagement, so the membership-based car wash takes an all-in approach to understanding their customers and parlaying data into focused brand activations. Understanding what makes the Soapy Joe’s customer tick helps the brand execute hyper-targeted campaigns on a modest “local business” budget.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 222 words used.
The goal of the Calm Strips campaign was bold for an event far outside of the traditional automotive marketing realm: improving mental health in the local community by providing free access to proven tools and techniques at no cost, all with a modest budget under $7,500 and on an extremely tight timeline.
The more concrete goals for the event were to give away thousands of Ultimate Mindful Car Wash Experiences and generate 100,000+ minutes of car wash meditation listens. To root the ephemeral campaign to tangible business goals and to incentivize participation, participants were offered a chance to win a free year membership to the Calm App. These participants would then enrich the company database as leads, new social followers, and YouTube channel subscribers.
With Mental Health Awareness Month quickly approaching, the development timeline was incredibly short, so the Calm Strips event went from conception to completion within weeks.
San Diego-based expert Melody Campbell, founder of The Mindful Mob, created guided meditations that were meant to be simple, practical, and approachable to appeal to an audience which may not have first-hand experience with mindfulness practices.
They also partnered with Calm Strips, the reusable textured sensory stickers designed to help regulate energy and increase focus. The Soapy Joe’s-themed Calm Strips utilized the popular box-breathing technique, which paired specifically with the meditations.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2022. Even if your initiative started before 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2022 only (up to 250 words):
Total 161 words used.
One of the most critical activities of the Calm Strips campaign was the creation of the experience itself. The full experience included a complimentary Magic Joe car wash as well as the custom meditation breathing exercises, as well as the Calm Strips, which were designed for use both during the car wash and at home. Free access for the community was prioritized to reduce barriers to mental health programs for those in need.
A multi-channel marketing push supported the campaign, including a landing page, blog post, press release, and social media give-away strategy.
The results of the campaign proved the critical value of listening to customer insights - the campaign yielded 12 media hits and 9 million media impressions, dispensed over 2,200 free calm strips, and generated 372 views and 1,163 minutes of YouTube views for the three meditation videos in less than a month. Astonishingly, 145,096 minutes of themed carwashes were experienced in the month of May!
- You have the option to reference here any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 36 words used.
Files relating to the customer survey data that inspired the campaign:
LINK TO SURVEY RESULTS – Members feel happy
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