SOAPnet

The Goal
Drive tune-in and retain an audience to promote the second season of SOAPnet’s reality show “I Wanna Be A Soap Star”.

The Execution
Marlin Entertainment turned car washes into star washes in ten markets ranging from Greenville, South Carolina, to Cincinnati, Ohio, to Houston, TX. Free car washes were offered to the first 300 customers to visit the car wash while male models offered consumers a refreshing glass of iced tea, “buffed” cars, and handed out premiums for “I Wanna Be A Soap Star”. While visitors waited for their cars, a promotional tape for the show ran in the lobby of the car wash.

Included in the giveaways were SOAPnet air fresheners, antenna star decorations, and soap star trading cards. The trading cards incorporated a watch-and-win game component to the star wash event. Each card pack included a ‘I Wanna Be A Soap Star” contestant card. Consumers had to watch each episode to see if their contestant card was the winner of a contract role on ABC’s “All My Children”. The consumer who possessed the winning contestant card won prizes including free car washes.

Results Recap
The event, which was promoted through local radio broadcasts and on-site signage, created buzz for “I Wanna Be A Soap Star” in all ten markets. Word-of-mouth quickly spread of the event and people flowed in from areas as far as 45 minutes away. Local television stations and newspapers conducted on-site reports.