11 Sep THAT CAR-LOVING FEELING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF SUPERSONIC CAR WASH (As Ran in WashTrends Magazine)
August 2019
Written By Lucia Regan
While carwash anniversaries are excellent opportunities to celebrate and thank loyal customers, they can also be a stage to unveil a dynamic upgrade. For Supersonic Car Wash of Utah, it is both. Now entering its 60th year in business, Supersonic was the first to introduce the express carwash concept to the state in 1959. Six decades later, Supersonic is still a favorite with customers. Voted “Best Car Wash” by readers of Utah Valley Magazine and the Daily Herald newspaper, the company offers the latest technology in paint and finish protection.
Acquired by the International Car Wash Group (ICWG) after it entered the U.S. market in 2015, Supersonic has just completed a $7 million refurbishment at its 11 sites from Provo to Ogden. Additionally, the company has just kicked off an integrated marketing campaign to celebrate its 60th anniversary that puts customer relationships front and center. Rebecca Fretty, vice president of marketing for ICWG, met with the Supersonic team at the Utah headquarters. “There is a display of the carwash opening in 1959 and its growth over the years. Our whole team recognizes the history and value of our customer relationships. We wanted to celebrate the connection with our customers and our employees as integral to the longevity of Supersonic and do so in a way that is both fun and creative.” The result is themed, “Renew Your Vows to Your Car.” The effort features a poll conducted by Survey Monkey in June to determine if and how Utahns’ attitudes and habits about car care have changed as daily life has become busier and filled with more distractions.
The Survey
Fretty explains, “Survey Monkey is a fun tool for obtaining current insights and attitudes among Utahns as part of our 60th anniversary celebration.” The survey poll was sent to car owners 30 years and older living in the greater Salt Lake City area. They received 226 replies, with 187 replies from car owners living in Utah and 39 who are customers of Supersonic. The overwhelming conclusion of the study was—people love their cars. And they are busier than ever with less time to spare. One of the important findings of the poll: “Two-thirds of Utah car owners still have that loving feeling for their cars… .The poll found that 1 in 2 Utahns spend the same amount of time and effort caring for their car as they did 10 or even 15 years ago, with only 27 percent indicating that they spend less time caring for their autos than they used to,” Fretty notes. “It is a main relationship, other than family.” The survey’s other interesting insights: “Utah is very family centric, yet most of respondents said that their dream car would be a luxury environmental Tesla,” Fretty states. “This response is unique to Utah. Hands down, [Tesla] got the most votes.” She also reveals that, “Men wanted to add more cool gear to their cars and women wanted to keep up the maintenance on their vehicles.” She continues, “Customers are keeping the love alive for their cars. It’s a perfect tie-in to our 60th anniversary theme, “Renew Your Vows to Your Car.”
Renewing Vows
“We’re pleased that folks here in Utah still feel the love for their cars despite the other pressures and distractions we all have to contend with,” comments Kamen Goddard, district manager at Supersonic, whose parents and grandparents were the original owners of Supersonic. “Still, renewing your vows means recommitting to the love and joy you derive from your vehicle and tending to the basics, such as regular carwashes, which are super important for ideal car maintenance.” Gregg Schroeppel, director of operations for all Supersonic Car Washes in Utah, adds, “Think about a weekly carwash as an investment in your ‘relationship maintenance.’ Getting rid of surface dirt, cleaning the under carriage and applying a sealant to protect the finish is one of the simplest ways to protect the long-term well-being of your car. It’s like bringing home flowers to your partner at the end of a long week.” The 60th anniversary celebration launched July 1 with a “Super-Size the Love Sweepstakes” at all of the 11 Supersonic Car Wash locations and runs for 7 weeks until August 18. The company will be giving out air fresheners, car chargers, Frisbees and other free items. Once a week, there will be a raffle drawing and the winner will receive a road trip bag or an unlimited carwash membership pass for one year. In August, at the end of the sweepstakes, 100 raffle winners and Supersonic employees will be invited to the Orem Owlz AAA League baseball game to enjoy baseball, birthday cake and 60 years of keeping cars clean.
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