February 05, 2024

When owners Mick Ward and Jim Speak decided to open an express car wash in Coon Rapids, MN, they had a vision of bringing unparalleled quality and remarkable customer experience to the community. As one of the first tunnel washes in their market, they set out to create an approachable brand that had broad appeal and was unique enough to set them apart as more washes later entered the market.

Ward and Speak partnered with SUDS to bring their brand vision to life, as well as drive traffic and membership with a strategic grand opening campaign. The launch was a major success.

Bringing the Vision to Life with Branding

The first key to success was getting the branding right. SUDS set out to create a brand that would be appropriately playful and local, while still demonstrating professionalism and quality. The Shine Car Wash branding with the sunshine character embodies the family-friendly, approachable feel that Ward and Speak knew would make them stand out.

"We wanted to create this kind of playful theme, but we also wanted to be taken seriously," Ward said. "SUDS brought that to life with the logo, color palette and sunshine character."

Creating a Seamles Customer Experience

The next foundational element to Shine’s success was pricing. SUDS used a data-backed pricing methodology, establishing a pricing strategy that would maximize ticket averages and membership sales. With the branding and pricing complete, SUDS designed Shine’s menus, pay station screens and signage, as well as digital components like the website and social media presence. The warm, approachable feel was carried across every touchpoint, creating a seamless customer experience.

Ramping Up Recurring Revenue

Once Shine was ready to open, SUDS set out to drive awareness, trial, and membership with a Go-To-Market campaign. To get as many people as possible to try out the wash and create buzz in the community, Shine launched with ten days of free car washes. The offer was promoted across various channels throughout the community and led to Shine washing over 8,000 cars in this first 10-day period. Owners Ward and Speak were blown away by the amount of traffic they got so early on and would use this same approach with another grand opening.

After this initial kick-off, SUDS launched a print and digital ad campaign to attract more trial customers, as well as a nurture program aimed at converting these new customers into members with a discounted first month. With this campaign, Shine was able to ramp up membership sales quickly, hitting the 1,000-member milestone in just 42 days, and ending the 90-day promotion with over 1,500 members.