IMO Car Wash | Aviary Creative

IMO Car Wash

Life is a journey best travelled in a car cleaned with love.

Following a re-brand, each site increased volume by over 450 cars per month.

36% increase in revenue after 1 month of re-branding a site.

5% increase in top-end washes and 9% decrease of low-end washes.

The challenge

To create one of the world’s most loved car wash brands – a big ambition for any category, let alone one where the consumer had so far failed to engage with any provider.

We started with a largely undifferentiated category focussed on rational communication, with all players struggling to move from a functional to a more emotional space. Despite best efforts, it seemed no-one had managed to cut-through with consumers, not helped with a general lack of consistency and compounded by a market being in different stages of development. Put simply, the car wash category was trading in the past and there was huge potential for the brand that could position itself for the future.

Customer insight

Qualitative category consumer insight revealed, at first glance, users comfortably navigate between multiple wash-types, driven by a rational mindset when it comes to getting their car cleaned (though they’re less interested in the technical details or are price obsessed). However, if you dig a little deeper, emotion is just beneath the surface, predominately driven by fears such as a loss of control, scratching and damage. But also a love of their car (whether their first, current or future one) and the act of getting their car cleaned as one of care – for their car and/or the people who ride in, or see it.

The solution

Starting with a new brand positioning 'Life is a journey best travelled in a car cleaned with love' the new IMO logo and visual identity was formed – using the graphic language of bubbles.

Bubbles embed both cognitive knowledge and emotional knowledge. Consumers have cognitive knowledge about how bubbles help the process of cleanliness (from a dirty to a clean car) and emotional knowledge about experiences and the feelings attached to them that they recall and re-live – childhood, protection, love, care, etc.

The new visual identity needed to be applied to all touchpoints from the car wash sites (UK, Germany and wider Europe) to outdoor advertising, point of sale, the website, app, emails, and exhibition stands.

“Reinventing a legacy brand is an epic task. Alongside creative vision it requires understanding, respect and collaboration. Dan delivered these attributes in abundance, working hand in hand with us to deliver a fresh, vibrant and joyful new identity. One we are all extremely proud to stand behind.”

Temerity Harrison, Marketing Director, IMO.