60
America’s Car Care Business
August 2008
inside conveyor washes
The challenges facing the car wash industry within
an economic downturn can be daunting at best.
Consumers are facing daily decisions affecting how
they choose to spend their disposable income. Gas, groceries,
utilities, coffee and clothing are prioritized by necessity. The
bright spot in this challenge is that consumers are choosing to
take care of their assets and maintaining their investments has
become more important than ever. People are motivated to take
care of their cars.
At Cloister Wash & Lube our marketing department’s
challenge is simply to keep people coming in our door every
day. How we choose to market our products and
services to the public is where we need to think outside
the box. Traditional forms of advertising and mainstream
media buys will always have degrees of success, but the cost is
sometimes astronomical for a small business. I think there is
another approach to encourage our community to continually
visit our car wash facilities.
GRACE FOR VETS
by Diann Roffe
Marketing Goodwill
Grace for Vets was designed to thank veterans for their service to our country.
62
America’s Car Care Business
August 2008
inside conveyor washes
Cars are lined up to participate
in Grace for Vets.
“In 2007, Hoffman Car Wash
had the privilege of washing
approximately 1,000 vehicles
belonging to veterans. One veteran
wrote, Thank you for giving a free
car wash to veterans on Veterans’
Day. I am a Vietnam Era veteran
having served for years in the U.S.
Navy. Your company provided a
generous display of gratitude to all
veterans in our community. Thank
you to a very patriotic business.”
— Tom Hoffman, Jr., Hoffman Car Wash & Jiffy Lube
Focus on Community
Cloister Wash & Lube has expanded into four different
communities in Central Pennsylvania. With four car wash facili-
ties and three fast lube shops, we have started to focus on each of
our locations and the communities that fuel them. The philos-
ophy is simple and straightforward. Our communi