All, Snuggle Make 'Pit Stop' for Racing Fans

Wilton, Conn. — Sun Products Corp. partnered with Target to offer a “Laundry Pit Stop” service for racing fans who camped outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. The 11-day event was part of an ongoing marketing program for the manufacturer’s All and Snuggle laundry care brands.From May 16 to 26 in conjunction with NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star and Coca-Cola 600 races in Charlotte, N.C., fans staying at the speedway’s campgrounds could drop off their dirty clothes at an All- and Snuggle-branded trailer for free laundering. The clean clothes were later delivered back to campers in branded golf carts featuring a large laundry basket.Sun Products chose to activate in this manner because its target market – moms and dads – typically shop at Target and are auto racing fans, says Elisabeth Heick, shopper marketing manager. “Through Nielsen panel data, we’ve gained significant demographic understanding of our core brand shopper and our retailer’s shopper. We know these two groups align in terms of demographics. Our partnership is a great way to reach everyone from mechanics to moms, and the NASCAR campground offered an attentive fan base and a great stage.”Target is the primary sponsor of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 car in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series – driven by Juan Pablo Montoya. It also sponsors two Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the IndyCar series.Prior to the “Pit Stop” event, preregistered campers received packets via mail that included an insert promoting the laundry service and product coupons “to begin building awareness,” says Heick. When the campers arrived on site, they received branded laundry bags. “Our brand ambassadors circulated throughout the different campgrounds to pick up guests’ dirty laundry or remind them of the service we were providing.”At the “Pit Stop” location, Sun Products hosted backyard games, provided a movie tent, staged a “happy hour” and facilitated appearances by driver Montoya and the Snuggle Bear mascot. The “pit crew” distributed product samples and premiums such as lint rollers, sunglasses and laundry bags that guests could use in their campers or laundry rooms at home. During the event, Sun Products cleaned approximately 660 loads of laundry.The activation was part of a larger initiative to increase brand awareness, product trial and purchase intent for Target shoppers, says Heick. The yearlong partnership includes an integrated marketing mix of in-store and mobile marketing, advertising on the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing cars, and brand logos on the teams’ assets.“The activation was planned to educate guests on the product attributes of All and Snuggle and to foster that authentic connection to drive association between All and Snuggle and Target,” Heick says.Out-of-store elements included Target circular features and mobile couponing coordinated with the retailer, as well as social media efforts on Facebook and Twitter that feature Montoya’s image and other communication about Target racing. A digital campaign at Target.com that ran prior to the events focused on product attributes of All and Snuggle. Banner ads on the homepage enabled consumers to click through to an All and Snuggle brand page. “We also had coupons on Target.com’s coupon portal that consumers could print out to take in-store,” Heick says.In-store efforts centered on the fact that All and Snuggle are sponsors of Target racing, but Heick says there were no specific in-store communications about the events at Charlotte Motor Speedway.“We’ll analyze the Laundry Pit Stop activation initiative and its effectiveness and impact against All and Snuggle’s key brand metrics,” Heick says. “We’ll also review sales growth, Facebook ‘Likes,’ Twitter mentions, website visits and coupon redemption.”For this program, Sun Products worked with Alcone Marketing Group, Darien, Conn., on creative concepts and the look and feel of the event; Aquarius Sports and Entertainment, Gaithersburg, Md., on the plan and to manage the activations; Cone Communications, Boston, for public relations; and Allied Printing Services Inc., Manchester, Conn., for POS materials.

All, Snuggle Make 'Pit Stop' for Racing Fans

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