I can't imagine any of that converting at a respectable rate. What you're doing with that type of advertising is getting brand recognition but you're not getting cold hard sales (I'm talking cash registers CA-CHINGING). I'm not sure how much money Express Lube has but I'd get out of the general brand advertising racket.
Instead of thinking like a traditional advertiser, think like a person that is in need of an oil change. Personally, I never even think about who I'm taking my car to until it's time. Usually the first place that I find a decent coupon for that is relatively close to my house gets the job.
Instead of blowing your wad of money on general Spurs advertising that won't convert to sales (how many people are going to force an oil change just because they saw your logo/heard your jingle?), I would save your company a ton of money and take the following steps:
First, put your coupons on HEB receipts. Second, create an Express Lube fan page on Facebook and use it liberally. Distribute special offers and coupons on a regular basis. Incentivize people to like your page somehow (extra coupons on air filter changes or whatever).
Oil changes aren't things people just get so it's harder to advertise for them. I might see a Papa Johns commercial during a football game and say hey, that looks good, I think I'll order Papa Johns. But I'm not going to see a lube change commercial and then spring off my couch and go check my car to see if my oil needs changing.
What to do to get business:
- Hand out coupons liberally (including coupons for upsells).
- Use Facebook and Twitter to pound out more coupons.
- Think of creative ways to differentiate yourself from the compe ion.
(People don't want to hear the same great service, blah, blah, blah. Everybody has the same lines. Instead, say something like we don't accept tips or Wait 30 minutes or more and your Express Lube is free. --- KILLER Pitch)
- Make your website useful.
(I go to ExpressLube.com and I see a bunch of bull . Turn this into something that persuades me to purchase from you and makes it as easy as possible. Tell me what you charge. Put a link to coupon codes. Tell me your services. Tell me what makes you different. Don't try to put this in a bunch of soft delivery terms, just come out with it. Phone numbers, link to Google maps for directions, email. Put this all right out there and take out the logo and car.)
- Get testimonials. "I took my car into ExpressLube, saved $10 with a coupon, and was out of there in 10 minutes!" vs. "We are proud to provide such services with the highest level of personal attention, courtesy and respect for the customer." --- BORING, nobody cares. Tell me something you can't just make up out of thin air that's real. (This is why you'd put in a customer testimonial)
What about ordering ahead of time online? Say someone only wants a lube change and they want to send their 18 year old punk kid to do it. This way they pay ahead of time and it's done. Plus, you get an advance on money.
What about reservations for a specific time?
What about Google advertising? I see ExpressLube.com nowhere in organic or sponsored results when I search for oil changes in san antonio. Get an adwords campaign and a place on Google maps and get your ass in the game. This is targeted traffic you are missing out on everyday. You need to be in the search engines - able to be found when people are actually are looking for an oil change.
Spend your money advertising to people that are searching "oil change san antonio" and other directly targeted keywords.
Don't spend your money on average joe Spurs fan wondering what part of raccoon is in the hotdog he's eating.
Start thinking what a buyer is looking for and you'll see a lot more sales.
Last, do some formal marketing research. When people are sitting those hard plastic seats doing nothing, waiting for their car, ask if they wouldn't mind filling out a survey (or even better $1/off for a survey). Find out what referrals/ads are working.
How did you find us?
What can we do better?
What do you like about us?
Did you visit our website?
etc, etc.
Then wrap it up by asking if they want an oil change coupon emailed to them in 3 months (or whatever) when their next recommended oil change is scheduled to take place.
Last, don't nickel and dime people and rip them off because it comes back around. You might make $27 this time making up some phony problem with an engine hose that has too much dust on it, but if people sense they are being slighted, the word will spread. Instead of having them leave feeling dirty, clean up the lobby area, put some good magazines in their from this decade, and offer them a cold bottled water (unexpected act of kindness). You might be known as the oil place that gives out free water. Word spreads. That $0.15 water becomes gold. Some of the simplest and easiest changes make huge impacts.
There's a lot more that you can do but between the broad strokes and the details above, you can start to paint the picture.
Stop the Spurs ticket giveaways and the cheap Bud Fox salesman pitches and get real.
Show me why in the world ExpressLube is my only choice the next time I need an oil change.
You put out a 3rd grade logo, a generic sales pitch, and some untargeted ads and you'll get equally lame results.
You get serious and you make ExpressLube THE ONLY PLACE FOR OIL CHANGES IN SAN ANTONIO and tell me how you can save me money, time, and make the checkout process as easy as pie - AND THEN save me more money down the road - and I might be tempted to see if you can walk the walk.
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