YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
by Paul Flemming
SBJ Staff
Lights, camera ... lube.
Production crews, actors, advertising execs and corporate brass were in Springfield Aug. 17-19 shooting the national television spots for Jiffy Lube International Inc. For the second year in a row, the campaign for the 1,545-store company was filmed at the 4115 S. Campbell Ave. Jiffy Lube.
That Jiffy Lube, along with three others in Springfield are owned and operated by Barclay Enterprises Inc. The company also has six Jiffy Lube locations in Little Rock and four Auto Magic car washes in the two cities.
"As a franchisor, Jiffy Lube has certain goals and standards relative to how the locations should look," said Bill McStay, senior vice president of marketing and communications for Jiffy Lube International Inc. "We have an image we wish to project and we're going to be portrayed exactly as we wish by Bill Barclay's store."
William E. Barclay Sr. is chairman of Barclay Enterprises. His company has been a Jiffy Lube franchisee for 11 years. In June, Barclay Enterprises was presented the corporation's People Award for the western half of the nation, recognizing the local operation's training program for employees and managers.
The two versions of two separate commercials shot here will cost about $350,000 to produce, McStay said. They will be used in an $8 million national media buy shown in more than 200 markets. In addition, the spots will be available to all Jiffy Lube franchisees for use in local campaigns. Though those spots will be customized for each locale, the ad will still feature the Springfield location and some local employees.
The Springfield location was chosen for a number of reasons in addition to Barclay Enterprise's performance. Smith Advertising of Kansas City is Jiffy Lube International's outside agency. And Video Post Production, the production company that shot the commercials, is based in Kansas City, as well, with a Branson location, also. McStay said Video Post's access to talent in Branson is attractive.
"We can tell them we need a type, like a 32-year-old housewife, and they can provide that," McStay said.
In addition to actors, the spots also feature local Jiffy Lube employees, as well as a North Carolina and Texas employee, both veterans of the company.
"Our research shows customers want to do business with the same person service after service; experienced people who are there the next time I come in," McStay said.
This year's campaign will focus on that market demand by personalizing the employees in the ads and highlighting their years of service with the company.
More than a dozen people from Jiffy Lube International, Smith Advertising and Video Post descended on the store during the three-day shoot stringing cable, swinging camera booms, adjusting lights and waiting patiently under vehicles for the cameras to roll.
That's another reason the South Campbell location was chosen: it has four service bays, enough so that the production could take place while the business of servicing customers' cars could continue at the store.
This year's production also represents a technical advance. The commercials are being shot in digital HDTV mode. McStay said even on standard television sets not outfitted to receive HDTV signals, the commercials will have sharper resolution and greater depth.
A release from Video Post and Wattner-Wilks Productions about the two companies' use of HDTV technology for commercial use in the area said the advantages of the technology are many.
"You can acquire far more footage for the dollar with digital and enjoy endless technical advantages in the posting," John Wilks said in a release.
Jiffy Lube International is a subsidiary of Houston, Texas-based Pennzoil Company, which acquired the company in 1990.
The company was begun in 1979, and last year added 136 stores to its chain 120 new stores are planned this year. There are 166 Jiffy Lubes in Sears Auto locations.
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