Marketing experts often talk about thinking outside the box and developing creative programs that don’t cost much money, but generate a lot of interest and attention to your business. Brad Zara, owner of Zara’s Collision Center in Springfield, Ill., took that advice to heart and developed a promotional contest that could be exhibit A in the expert’s textbook.

Zara’s Collision Center is celebrating the can-do ingenuity of do-it-yourself auto repair technicians by holding a Don’t Quit Your Day Job promotional contest in July.

“We’re continually in awe of the effort people put into the temporary fixes of their damaged vehicles,” says Zara. “When the vehicle gets to us, we first ‘unfix’ the customer’s fix and then do the repair as it should be done. From what we see, I’m confident there will always be a market for duct tape.”

Click on this link to read the entire article, which was posted to the ABRN Web site on July 7. http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=609294

Anybody who has ever seen vehicles seemingly held together by bailing wire and duct tape can relate to this contest, even if they’ve never had to make temporary repairs to one of their own vehicles.

The contest is open to anyone who has a do-it-yourself repair job vehicle. They are asked to submit a digital photo through Zara’s Web site, www.zarascollision.com. The contest winner will receive $500 in cash.

So for a $500 cash reward he’s reaching out to generate interest in his shop and the industry in a humorous way. If handled properly, this should generate a lot of interest and attention in Springfield, because the contest is quirky, entertaining and a little bit funny. Those are three things that local media – newspapers, TV stations and radio – always are looking for to entertain and educate their audiences.

Zara was quick to point out that some improper repairs pose a safety concern, which is no laughing matter. He took that opportunity to offer the following plug for his business and the industry: “Of course, the main issue is that improper repairs pose a safety concern,” he said. “Professional repairs using the right parts are essential to keep all of us safe on the road.” Now that’s the way to line up on the right side of the safety issue.

Zara didn’t miss the opportunity to include his own little ad at the end of the press release announcing his contest. It is sort of a boilerplate for his company that emphasizes trained and certified technicians and a high CSI score at his shop. He also emphasizes his professional staff on his Web site, which has a ton of information and is easy to navigate.

Check out his Web site and contest by clicking on the above link. Spend a few minutes browsing and you might pick up some ideas that you can use to promote your business.

By the way, if Zara’s Collision Center sounds familiar to you, that might be because ABRN has covered it in print and online before. Here are links to two previous articles about the business. I-CAR honors Zara’s Collision Center with Russ Verona Memorial Award, click here:
http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=543124.
Zara’s Collision Center shop profile, click here:
http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=94660.