communication audit report - web viewthe objective of this marketing communication audit report is...

KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Communication Audit Report

MR. LUBE CANADA

Prepared for Patricia BrownMRKT 3211

By: Zack Leung100185479

April 6th, 2011

Executive Summary

The industry leader, Mr. Lube Canada, prides itself on serving the Canadian market by

offering a professional, convenient, warranty-approved automotive maintenance service that is

an alternative to car dealerships. While this customer driven value proposition is known

throughout the organization, it is up to Mr. Lube’s marketing team to broadcast this message to

the public. Within this audit report, Mr. Lube’s marketing mediums will be analyzed to

determine its effectiveness along with the proposition of new opportunities to extending its

reach.

The table below illustrates the different forms of Mr. Lube’s Owned, Paid, and Earned

Media.

Throughout the legacy of Mr. Lube, conventional marketing had always been their main

focus. Without a doubt, Mr. Lube has done an excellent job in mass marketing their brand to the

public through these mediums. However, with current shift in marketing trends and their

Owned Logo Signage Print Materials Uniforms Website

Paid Television radio bus ends (Exhibit 8) billboards (Exhibit 9) magazines direct mail ice rink arenas and local newspapers.

Earned awards, magazine articles, news interviews awareness campaigns

customers becoming more social-media-savvy, short and long-term recommendations are drafted

in this report to assist Mr. Lube to adapt to their ever-changing market.

ContentsIntroduction......................................................................................................................................3

Purpose............................................................................................................................................3

Current Objectives...........................................................................................................................3

Owned Media & Materials..............................................................................................................3

Logo.............................................................................................................................................3

Signage........................................................................................................................................3

Print Materials.............................................................................................................................3

Uniforms......................................................................................................................................3

Website........................................................................................................................................3

Paid Media.......................................................................................................................................3

Earned Media...................................................................................................................................3

Recommendations............................................................................................................................3

Short Term Recommendations........................................................................................................3

Storytelling..................................................................................................................................3

Facebook Page.............................................................................................................................3

Twitter..........................................................................................................................................3

Long Term Recommendations........................................................................................................3

FourSquare...................................................................................................................................3

YouTube Channel........................................................................................................................3

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3

Appendix 1: StoryTelling Fundamentals.........................................................................................3

Appendix 2: Contacts......................................................................................................................3

Appendix 3: Gathered Materials......................................................................................................3

Exhibit 1: Store Logo...................................................................................................................3

Exhibit 2: Location Branding......................................................................................................3

Exhibit 3: Branding Signage........................................................................................................3

Exhibit 4: 3 Step Simple Service Guide......................................................................................3

Exhibit 5: Franchisee Brochure...................................................................................................3

Exhibit 6: Mr. Lube uniform.......................................................................................................3

Exhibit 7: Website.......................................................................................................................3

Exhibit 8: Bus Ends.....................................................................................................................3

Exhibit 9: Billboard Ads..............................................................................................................3

Exhibit 10: Surprise Us................................................................................................................3

Exhibit 11: Warranty Friendly.....................................................................................................3

Exhibit 12: Social Media.............................................................................................................3

Exhibit 13: Social Media Activities Report.................................................................................3

Appendix 4: Interview Q&A Log with Erin Kampf........................................................................3

Communication Audit Report: MR. LUBE Canada

Introduction

The automotive servicing business is a highly competitive industry. The defining factors that

have enabled Mr. Lube to be one of the key players in this market are convenience, speed, and

professionalism (Kampf, Personal Communication, Feb.3rd, 2011). To sustain the market

dominating factors, Mr.Lube has a complex corporate structure that ensures proper the message

is delivered to the customers. On the front end, the National and Regional Marketing

departments are the ones that effectively communicate the core values to the public.

Purpose

The objective of this Marketing Communication Audit Report is to provide Erin Kampf,

Regional Marketing Manager at Mr.Lube Canada, with a detailed analysis of how Mr.Lube is

delivering key messages across their communication channels.

Current Objectives

The current key message that Mr. Lube is sending to the public is: being the company that

“offers a professional, convenient, warranty-approved automotive maintenance service that is an

alternative to car dealerships.” In partnership with Rethink Canada, a creative media-advertising

agency, Mr.Lube does a series of advertisements and corporate branding to promote their

message to the public. However, Kampf has received a feeling from the majority of the public,

that taking in their second most valuable asset to servicing, is just as boring and painful as going

to the dentist (Kampf, Personal Communication, Feb.3rd, 2011). Through the development with

Rethink, they must find ways to add a “fun element” to their marketing campaigns.

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Owned Media & Materials

Owned media, as the name implies, are all the mediums that a company owns and has full

control over. They officially represent the brand and are often managed by the company’s

marketing department. For Mr.Lube owned media takes form in,

Logo Signage Print Materials Uniforms Website

Logo

The rectangular shape with yellow background and blue text, form the official Mr. Lube logo.

Throughout the Mr. Lube legacy, the logo has always been consistent; the simple design with the

colours blue and yellow, implies trustworthiness and cheerfulness, has successfully been

engraved into the mind of each Mr. Lube customer. Kampf explains that after their partnership

with Rethink, they had trimmed the corners off the logo and making it round (Exhibit 1). By

trimming the corners, not only is it easier on the eyes, but it also brings a more modern touch to

the overall design.

Signage

Mr. Lube utilizes different signs to promote a variety of messages to their audience. Signs

placements are visible throughout the servicing outlets. The signs contain written messages and

symbol that is associated with automobiles. For example, for their poster “Join the Mr. Lube

Club Today”, they have incorporated a Check Engine Light to the poster to capture customers'

attention (Exhibit 2). The Check Engine Light is a good icon to use for gaining awareness, as

most drivers are extra cautious when the light appears on their car’s dashboard. Aside from the

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message-oriented posters, Mr. Lube places illuminated signs near the roadside at each servicing

outlet, to capture the attention of drivers, notifying them that there is a Mr. Lube servicing outlet

ahead (Exhibit 3). For all their signs, Mr. Lube uses their standard blue and yellow colors, to

maintain consistency and ease of recall.

Print Materials

The informative print materials that Mr. Lube provides to customers, generally uses the standard

Mr. Lube color scheme. Whether it be the “Three Step Simple Service Guide” or “Mr.Lube

Club” sign up pamphlet, the blue and yellow theme is used with the three-fold brochure style

(Exhibit 4). Each pamphlet handed out within the servicing outlet, serves a particular purpose.

For example, the Three Step Simple Service Guide includes the prices and service intervals for

general automotive maintenances. In addition, the consistent color scheme and style is applied at

a corporate level with their Franchisee Brochures (Exhibit 5). Mr. Lube has done an excellent job

in maintaining consistency with the design and information across all their printed material.

Uniforms

The current Mr. Lube uniforms align well with the professional, convenient, warranty approved

image that Mr. Lube is trying to portray. Designed by Rethink Canada, the uniforms are branded

with their own and other corporate partnership logos like Castrol Oil and Mobil 1. The Mr. Lube

colors are in use once again, along with stripes on the side of the design, to imitate a Racing Pit

Stop Team. On the back of the uniforms, a professionally designed “Warranty Approved” logo is

included, to promote all services provided at Mr. Lube, supported by the manufacturer’s

warranty. However, to tie it in with a professional image, all the shirts are collared and come in

long and short sleeves for different seasons (Exhibit 6). With the professionally designed

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uniforms by Rethink, when a customer drives into the servicing outlets, they know they will be

served by technicians who are friendly, professional, and efficient.

Website

The current website, Mr.Lube.com, is the only official online source for Mr. Lube's customers. It

is well-designed with appropriate graphics that reflect the Mr. Lube image (Exhibit 7). Viewers

can easily tell that they have arrived at the Mr. Lube website, as the same colors are applied and

branded with Mr. Lube logos. The website is informative and has a simple navigation menu on

the top with respect to the “fold.” The entire website can be viewed quickly without scrolling

down beyond the “fold.” With the simplicity factor integrated in the design, the user-friendly

website is able to serve the general purpose for customers who are looking for information about

Mr. Lube, their Loyalty Club, Car Care, Franchising Opportunities, and Mr. Lube locations. The

majority of the information that a customer would need to know, can be retrieved within three

mouse clicks. Just recently, Mr. Lube has launched gift cards. At the lower left of the website,

gift cardholders are able to check their balance through the link. In general, the website is

effectively designed to align with their two core values of professionalism and convenience.

Paid Media

The nation-wide, professional, convenient, warranty-approved automotive maintenance

servicing, compared to car dealerships, spends a lot of time and money on understanding who

their target market is, and what is the best way to approach them. For the “I'd rather go to the

dentist than get an oil change” mind set, Mr. Lube hires Rethink Canada as their creative

advertising media agency (Kampf, Personal Communication, Feb. 4th 2011). Although there is a

third party media-buying agency that does all the media purchasing, all the creative thinking and

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designing have been completed by Rethink Canada for the past four years (Rethink). Kampf and

her colleagues work closely with Rethink to develop innovative ideas, that can integrate a

humourous twist to the boring old oil change process. The humorous and entertaining paid media

are integrated in the forms of,

television radio bus ends (Exhibit 8) billboards (Exhibit 9) magazines direct mail ice rink arenas and local newspapers.

Aside from the actual content of the television ads, all other forms of paid media are quite

consistent in terms of the use of colors, words, and designs. Instead of using blue for the

background, Rethink had changed some of the ads to use yellow for attention grabbing (Exhibit

10 & 11). In the larger scale of things, Mr. Lube has done an excellent job in collaborating with

Rethink Canada to fabricate some of the most unique, humorous, and sticky ads to the Canadian

market.

Earned Media

It may seem that Mr. Lube has been doing an excellent job on all levels of marketing to ensure

stable grounds in the competitive industry. For sure, they know their market, who to find to

develop their creative ideas, and how to target the mass market. However, they are not a major

player when coming to earned media. Mr. Lube may be present on popular social media

platforms like Facebook (one unofficial page), Twitter, Yelp, FourSquare, or Youtube (Exhibit

12). On a scale where an individual Mr. Lube outlet can service anywhere from a thousand to

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two thousand cars per month, their online presence is not that significant as a brand (Ihsan,

Personal Internview, Feb. 10th 2011). While some loyal customers are social media activists, the

amount of buzz on Mr. Lube online is not that extensive and can increase (Exhibit 13).

Simultaneously, according to the Mr. Lube website’s Media sections, Mr. Lube has earned

approximately 20 media publishes, varying from awards, magazine articles, news interviews, to

awareness campaigns since 20081. To some extent, their offline presence is much better than

their online-earned presence. Until Mr. Lube decides to establish their online presence, they will

not realize the potential and power of online-earned media via social media platforms.

Recommendations

There is no doubt that Mr. Lube Canada has done an astonishing job in mass marketing and

effectively communicating their message of providing that “professional, convenient, warranty

approved automotive maintenance service alternative to car dealer” to their target market.

However, there are many ways they can improve their online media presence to stay up-to-date

with the current marketing trends. As some franchised Mr. Lube owners are taking the initiative

to tap into this market, as a national company, the corporate marketing team should consider

taking their brand to the next level. According to Erin Kampf, Mr. Lube’s marketing team is in

the process of revamping their website to become more informative and their plans to tackle the

social media monster still needs to be carefully laid out (Kampf, Personal Communication, Feb.

3rd, 2010). The following recommendations can assist Kampf in determining how to jump onto

the Social Media bandwagon.

1 Mr. Lube. Mr. Lube Media. Mar. 4th, 2011. http://www.mrlube.com/about/media.htm

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http://www.mrlube.com/about/media.htm


Short-term Recommendations

The short-term recommendations are what Mr. Lube Canada can do within the next 12 months to

start establishing their presence online. It is only recommended to take on these suggestions

when Mr. Lube is comfortable with heading in this direction.

Storytelling

One of the first steps that Kampf can consider, while developing the new website without

integrating social media, would be storytelling. Storytelling is a tool that can be used right away

by Mr. Lube. Its legacy, founded by the Clifford Giese and his father Arnold, realizing “there

had to be a quicker, more convenient way to get an oil change, rather than dealing with the time

and hassle of making an appointment2,” is a great way to start off the story. Storytelling is

extremely powerful and widely practiced by companies nowadays, as Sandy Carter, IBM

Marketing Executive says, “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell

me a story and it will live in my heart forever3.” As Carter’s quote implies, a good story can be

deeply engraved into one’s mind and will be remembered for a long time. Story styles like

Competitive Win or Product Creation, will be suitable for Mr. Lube’s legend. For Mr. Lube to

create this story, five fundamentals to developing a story suggested by Dr. Pamela Rutlege,

Media Psychology Research Center, are as follows4 (Appendix 1),

1. Find your story2. Build your story3. Plan the story arc4. Share your story5. Give value

2 Mr. Lube. Our History. Mr. Lube.com. 2009. mrlube.com/about/history.htm3 Dunford, April. Feb.23, 2009. “The Importance of Storytelling in Marketing.” Rocket Watcher. 2011. http://www.rocketwatcher.com/blog/2009/02/the-importance-of-storytelling-in-marketing.html4 Rutledge, Pamela. Jan. 23rd, 2011.5 “Keys for Social Media Marketing Storytelling.” Media Psychology Research Center. 2011. http://mprcenter.org/blog/2011/01/23/5-keys-for-social-media-marketing-using-storytelling/

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http://mprcenter.org/blog/2011/01/23/5-keys-for-social-media-marketing-using-storytelling/

http://www.rocketwatcher.com/blog/2009/02/the-importance-of-storytelling-in-marketing.html


An effective story can influence the hearts of your customers, and with a good story, it can be a

defining factor from Mr. Lube’s competitors. Where most social media techniques require

continuous monitoring, storytelling is a technique that contradicts this rule and can be included

in the redesigned Mr. Lube website.

Facebook Page

As most would say, “Facebook is not everything” or “Facebook had reached its peak and is

declining,” it is one of the critical steps to take in terms of entering the social media marketing.

Mr. Lube had already lost its first mover’s advantage to a franchisee owner who has created an

unofficial Facebook Page (Exhibit 12). It is important for Mr. Lube to reclaim its unofficial

Facebook page and to apply corporate supervision. With most social media savvy marketers, it is

common knowledge to “go where your communities are,” and Facebook is one of them. It is

hard to deny that the there is a portion of Mr. Lube’s customer and employees on Facebook.

Even if they were not, that would be a completely new market for Mr. Lube to explore and

capture the Facebook population to go to Mr. Lube for their automotive maintenance. Facebook

Pages can hold company information, current promotions, links to corporate websites, and most

importantly community building. The strength of Facebook is not only its 500 million active user

base5, but also having the ability to see your community and communicate with them. Comments

can be replied to, promotions can appear on News Feed, television ads can be republished, and

links can be distributed to drive traffic to all of Mr. Lube’s owned media. It is critical for Mr.

Lube Canada to reclaim the unofficial Facebook Page. In addition, with the proper attention to

Facebook and comments left by the community, it can be a useful tool to assist in increasing

distribution, handling public relations, and promoting Mr. Lube’s core values.

5 Facebook. 2011. “Facebook Stats.” Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

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http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics


Twitter

As opposed to Facebook, where it is a closed community, Twitter is an open community

platform. The 140-character micro-blog publishing platform is incredibly powerful. It can raise

money for Haiti, achieve a new government for Egypt, and of course, promote a corporate

image. It is a good start for Mr. Lube to take the initiative to secure a corporate Twitter Handle.

(Kampf, Personal Communication, Feb. 4th, 2011). After a Google search, it is easy to find

information that are Twitter Do’s and Don’ts. The things that Mr. Lube can start using Twitter

for is: promoting core values, developing a community through relevant automotive maintenance

news, driving instant traffic to slower locations, and handling customer feedback (positive and

negative). The idea behind Twitter is quite self-explanatory and simple, yet, takes time to

develop. Before jumping right into the Twitter platform, it is advised to start observing what is

happening on the Twitter communities. Learning how hashtags are used, how shortening links

can redirect people to other websites, and how communities are formed, can help Mr. Lube gain

influential followers. Twitter has the capability to spread messages at an exponential rate. The

retweet ability is extraordinary powerful, and often, good material and promotions will be re-

tweeted many times (especially when it is retweeted by influential people). Also applicable to

Facebook, Mr. Lube should encourage the community to follow their Twitter handle or to

become a Facebook Fan by promoting these two platforms across all current mediums. This can

be done by simply adding a call-to-action like “Follow us on Twitter” or “Like us on Facebook.”

The icons should also be placed on all current mediums and website. There is an endless amount

of possibilities with this platform, as Marty Yaskowich, Director of Triball DDB, advises, “less

talking, less publishing, and more observing.”

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Long Term Recommendations

The long-term recommendations are not as critical as the short-term recommendations; they can

be implemented after 12 months. Currently, Mr. Lube already has presence on these platforms.

However, the level of activity is not as significant, and most likely would not yield as high of a

reach when compared to the short-term recommendations. If Mr. Lube is comfortable, they can

approach these tasks simultaneously with the short-term recommendations.

FourSquare

There is currently more than half a million FourSquare users and 15.5 million venues for

consumers to check-in6. Consumers are using this geo-location check-in platform to obtain

discounts from vendors. The venue owner can create a short message that will be displayed after

a FourSquare user checks in to the venue. Mr. Lube can utilize this platform to offer in-store

promotions as an incentive for users to check-in and share their location across social media

platforms like Twitter and Facebook. It is highly likely for someone to try Mr. Lube when they

see Mr. Lube being the solution to their friend’s automotive maintenance, through their

Facebook News Feed. Again, Mr.Lube has a current presence on FourSquare due to user-

generated venues. Yet, the current number of check-ins are low due to the lack of locations

managed by a marketer so there is no incentive to repeat check-ins after encountering a

disappointing initial attempt. If Mr. Lube does not wish to do continuous in-store promotions,

Mr. Lube can simply input the branch management’s information into the short message to

ensure proper service and customer retention. With that information, customers will know who

to ask for when they have encountered a disappointing experience. Proper quality assurance can

prevent upset customers from expresssing their negative experience online and the probability of

6 Parr, Ben. (2010). “The Rise of Foursquare in Numbers [STATS]. Mashable. http://mashable.com/2010/03/12/foursquare-stats/

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http://mashable.com/2010/03/12/foursquare-stats/


losing Mr. Lube goers. With the proper use of FourSquare, it can help promote Mr. Lube’s brand

online without having to spend part of the limited marketing budget.

YouTube Channel

The YouTube channel is not meant for Mr. Lube to become overnight stars like Justin Bieber, or

Maria Aragon. Instead it is for Mr. Lube to re-distribute their ads and possibly creating a

community after a series of “How-To” videos. Currently, Mr. Lube ads are being distributed

online. It is in the best interest of Mr. Lube to redistribute these ads that they have already spent

thousands of dollars on, in republishing them under their own YouTube channel to maximize

views. Links and “see also’s” can be incorporated into the videos to further build brand

awareness. The “How-To” videos can capture car enthusiasts to try to service their cars under

proper instructions. By any chance, after viewing these videos and knowing the complexity of

the service, they will most likely go to Mr. Lube for assistance. The main purpose of having a

YouTube Channel, is so that at the end of every clip, Mr. Lube can promote their three core

values to make it even sticker to consumers while building a community at the same time.

Conclusion

There is an endless amount of ways Mr. Lube’s marketing team can utilize the available online

platforms to engage, capture, and broadcast their core values to their market. What Mr. Lube is

doing currently, has clearly drawn the line in separating them from their competitors. However,

to extend the reach of Mr. Lube’s core values as being the professional, convenient, and

warranty-approved automotive maintenance alternative to car dealerships, requires penetrating

through new mediums. Many Social Media marketers including Marty Yaskowich, can vouch

that social media is not everything and there is no such thing as a social media strategy.

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However, the potential and power held within social media can definitely “supercharge” your

current marketing campaigns and take them to the next level of customer interactively and

engagement. While the new Mr. Lube website is being developed, hopefully the

recommendations provided can assist Mr. Lube in driving more traffic to the new website and to

the Mr. Lube servicing outlets.

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Appendix 1: StoryTelling Fundamentals7

1. Find your story. What is the essence of your goal, organization, or service? Why does it exist? What is the

fundamental message? Who are you saying it to?

2. Build your story. Stories consist of characters with goals: the hero we root for and the villain who poses

challenges. Who or what function as the characters in your story?

3. Plan the story arc. Story structure consists of a starting point introducing the characters and goals, a middle

where challenges and conflicts threaten the goals, and resolution when goals are achieved. How do you lay out

the structure of your story for your audience?

4. Share your story. Today’s audiences expect to participate and collaborate. What are the entry points for your

audience? Are you willing to relinquish control so your audience can contribute and advance the story?

5. Give value. What is in it for the audience? What is the take-away? How does the story impact their lives or the

lives of others?

7 Rutledge, Pamela. Jan. 23rd, 2011.5 “Keys for Social Media Marketing Storytelling.” Media Psychology Research Center. 2011. http://mprcenter.org/blog/2011/01/23/5-keys-for-social-media-marketing-using-storytelling/

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http://mprcenter.org/blog/2011/01/23/5-keys-for-social-media-marketing-using-storytelling/


Appendix 2: Contacts

Erin KampfRegional Marketing Management, MR. LUBE CANADAWork: [email protected]

Aaron D’Souza MR. LUBE Franchise Manager, RICHMOND LUBE CORPORATIONWork: [email protected]

Nadeem IhsanMR. LUBE Franchise Manager, RICHMOND LUBE [email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Appendix 3: Gathered Materials

Exhibit 1: Store Logo

Rethink rounded off the corners of the traditional logo to apply a more modern look to the

traditional Mr. Lube Logo.

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Exhibit 2: Location Branding

The Mr. Lube club and monitors are some of the interior store marketing materials.

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Exhibit 3: Branding Signage

Exterior Mr. Lube signs that drivers can see easily from the road.

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Exhibit 4: 3 Step Simple Service Guide

Mr. Lube’s 3 Step Simple Service Guide.

Exhibit 5: Franchisee Brochure

The back front cover and first page of the Mr. Lube Franchise Opportunity Brochure

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Exhibit 6: Mr. Lube uniform

This Rethink designed uniform is what all Mr. Lube technicians are currently wearing. They

come in long and short sleeves as well as a winter jacket version for the extreme weather

conditions in the prairies.

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Exhibit 7: Website

Old Version

New Version

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These are two version of the website. The second version of the website is what is being used

currently, it has integrated a video clip and had touch on the storytelling element.

Exhibit 8: Bus Ends

A bus-end ad that is currently running around cities of Canada. Image sourced from:

rides.webshots.com

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Exhibit 9: Billboard Ads

Two giant billboard ads that Mr. Lube uses to gather traffic off the streets.

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Exhibit 10: Surprise Us

This Rethink designed ad, inverted the traditional Mr. Lube colors and did not use blue as the

background color.

Exhibit 11: Warranty Friendly

This is one of Mr. Lube ads that Rethink has designed.

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Exhibit 12: Social Media

Facebook Page (Unofficial)

This is the unofficial Facebook page created by a franchise owner.

Yelp Reviews by Location Map

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The tags are the current Mr. Lube locations within Vancouver that have reviews posted by Yelp

users.

Exhibit 13: Social Media Activities Report

Social Media Platforms Counts

Facebook page8

(Currently Mr. Lube does not have an official

Facebook Page)

< 100 Fans

FourSquare9 < 100 Check-Ins

Yelp10 Approx. 9 reviews

Youtube11 < 20 Related Video

From the chart above, we can see that the level of activities on those platforms is not that

significant. Most of the reviews and business information are generated by users of those

platforms.

8 Facebook. Mr Lube Facebook Page (Unofficial). Mar. 4th, 2011. http://www.facebook.com/pages/MRLUBE-Greater-Vancouver-Area/1645388994629 FourSquare, Mr. Lube near Richmond. Mar.4th, 2011. http://foursquare.com/search?q=mr+lube&near=Richmond10 Yelp, Mr. Lube Yelp Reviews near Vancouver. Mar. 4th, 2011. http://www.yelp.ca/search?find_desc=Mr+Lube&ns=1&find_loc=Vancouver,+BC&country=CA11 Youtube. Search: Mr. Lube Videos. Mar. 4th, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mr+Lube&suggested_categories=2,22,17,1,26&page=2

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http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mr+Lube&suggested_categories=2,22,17,1,26&page=2

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mr+Lube&suggested_categories=2,22,17,1,26&page=2

http://www.yelp.ca/search?find_desc=Mr+Lube&ns=1&find_loc=Vancouver,+BC&country=CA

http://www.yelp.ca/search?find_desc=Mr+Lube&ns=1&find_loc=Vancouver,+BC&country=CA

http://foursquare.com/search?q=mr+lube&near=Richmond

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MRLUBE-Greater-Vancouver-Area/164538899462

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MRLUBE-Greater-Vancouver-Area/164538899462


Appendix 4: Interview Q&A Log with Erin Kampf

Overall Message Mr.Lube wishes to deliver to their audience. Who are they?

Professional, quick, convenient, alternative for oil changes.

What are the goals and objectives?

The main goal and objectives have always been the same, it is by providing that “alternative

option” to the dealers. It will always stay the same for the national brand image. However, when

doing regional marketing, the objective would be to gain awareness and traffic into the stores.

Currently nothing really can be measured in terms of marketing campaign wise except for the

coupons redeemed. In addition, we strive to maintain consistency across the nation.

Owned Media

Signage

The logo haven’t really changed throughout the legacy of Mr. Lube, however, when Mr. Lube

hired Rethink, they have changed the previous squared logo to have rounded corners. At the

same time, the “tagline” has been removed from the company logo (But that sign never been

used except for marketing material purposes only). In terms of color schemes, Mr.lube has

always stayed with the blue and yellow, from time to time they might change the main color of

things when developing promotional materials. In general, the colors have always remained the

same.

Uniforms

The current uniforms are designed by Rethink. Before the partnership with Rethink, the uniforms

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at Mr. Lube had always been the generic “garage shop look and feel.” The thick fleece sweaters

or coveralls are what were previously worn as uniforms at Mr. Lube. After Rethink has been

hired by Mr.Lube to consult for the creative side of marketing, they have turned the old boring

outfits into a racing, branded, one of a kind uniform, nothing you’ve seen before. The uniform is

covered with corporate partnership logos with blue and grey racing stripes on the side. The

redesigned jackets offer the exact same feel to customers as if they are in their racing cars

entering the pit on a racetrack. However, the collared long/short shirt offers a sense of

professionalism, the technicians are “service advisors” afterall.

ONLINE- Mr.lube.com- Ultimately what do you expect to achieve out of the website?

The current Mr. Lube website is very static, the agency that developed and monitored Mr .Lube’s

website is currently no longer practicing business with Mr. Lube. Erin agrees with me that the

current website is not very attractive and boring. They are currently developing a new website

that are more up-to-date meeting current web 2.0 standards. Although social media will not be

incorporated to the website at this point in time, they are trying to give their website a new look,

a more informative page. They are hoping in their new website they can include individual pages

for each location and specify what services that particular branch offers. Erin hopes that the

newly developed website will assist consumers in finding out more about Mr. Lube.But for a

fact, Social Media will need to be taken at “baby steps”

Social Media-

There are currently no social media elements to their marketing plan. Erin did mention she wants

to develop a social media strategy, but she thinks it will a “monster” to tackle and may find it

challenging. She understands the fact that anything presented on social media will be seen by the

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world instantaneously, she needs to clearly think through the strategy before taking on this

monster.

Internally: Company’s vision and mission statement? How do you communicate internally?

Memos, Letterhead? Employee communication, Shareholder communication (Owned Media)

There is no company mission or vision statement. It is something that’s not talked about in the

pantry or in conferences. But there is something called the “3 pillars” that Mr. Lube emphasizes

when reaching out to looking for new franchising opportunities. Will be discussed later.

Mr. Lube holds both intranet and extranet networks with them being managed by the in house IT

Team. The intranet is solely for corporate staffs to pass along documents and the messaging part

is done through emailing. The extranet is designed for the franchisees to access Mr. Lube

corporate information. The data passed along the extranet is still confidential, but different from

what’s being passed around the intranet.

Externally: Are there any facets where it’s a two way communications?

2. Graphic identity designs (e.g., logo, letterhead, business card);

How are these designed? I understand the logo never really changed, but throughout the years,

companies make small improvements to their logos to keep them relevant, are these done at

Mr.Lube? and while designing other promotional materials, what determines the theme of the

campaign and designs?

Erin thinks that the whole “oil change” factor is boring and dry. She joked that customers would

prefer to go to the dentist rather than to get the oil change done for their car.That’s why the ads

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done by Rethink are leaning more towards the humour and fun aspect of things. They try to

make the traditional oil change a fun thing for people.

Most of the advertising campaign remains focused on providing a warranty, fast, convenient

alternative to dealer oil changes.

Regional promotional campaigns are mostly franchisee driven or fed to the franchisees by the

corporate marketing team. Mr .Lube relies quite heavily at Rethink for coming up of the creative

aspects of the ideas as they think they are the experts in this field.

Paid Media

TV &Radio- same as objective. Try to gain awareness. Although it is hard to measure, but it is

something that is a “must do“. The Leadership team understands why they need to do it, but

sometimes franchisees cannot justify the price.

Publications: magazine print ad, Etc…

Community Activities

Mr. Lube foundation determines how the funds are distributed to different charities. They have

their own board of directors and panel that runs the foundation. The Mr. Lube corporate board of

directors does have some say, but the Foundation’s Board of Directors makes most of the

decisions. Franchisees do have the option of supporting local teams and charities, but normally

will be at their own expense.

The Scotiabank Bowl for Big Brothers Classic from April 1 to May 16, 2010 The 4th Annual Founder’s Day Campaign in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MS) on Saturday May 8, 2010 The Mr. Lube Tournament for the Cure in support of prostate cancer research with the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation on Monday

June 7, 2010 Tournament for Life in support of prostate cancer research on Monday July 5, 2010 The Mr. Lube Week at Camp Zajac Ranch for Kids from August 9 – 13, 2010

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5. Media and/or Public Relations coverage;

Mr. Lube Sponsors Canucks Open Practice October 10, 2009 Mr. Lube and Castrol Support Aeroplan Beyond Miles Program June 10, 2009 Mr. Lube Sweeps the Radio Category at the Frankie’s

Earned Media

Because Mr. Lube doesn’t really do any social media marketing, but there are some earned

media through print articles in magazine that mentions Mr. Lube. From time to time there will

be the odd tweet saying something like “I’m getting my oil changed at #mr.lube.” But no

official hahttag or whatsoever. Mr. Lube did secure its own @mrlube handler.

In the future, what do you think Mr. Lube will be perceived as?

A quick lube alternative that’s consistent throughout the nation.

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http://mrlube.com/about/media/2009/CFA%20Awards%20awards.pdf

http://mrlube.com/about/media/2009/Beyond%20Miles%20and%20Mr%20Lube.pdf

http://mrlube.com/about/media/2009/Canucks%20Open%20Practice.pdf

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