There’s a Wawa-Sized Hole Out West
The Ask: Identify a problem or gaps within the Californian market, then find a brand to address this
We determined that Wawa had great potential to succeed, as there were no competitors with similar offerings like there are on the East Coast with Sheetz or QuikTrip
The current competition can be divided between fast casual, fast food, and regular gas stations (particularly 7/11)
Wawa has considered this before, but gas stations were too expensive to operate in the area. However with food being an ever increasing source of revenue, now is the time to expand
Wawa’s Competitors in the Californian Market. Left to right: fast casual, fast food, gas stations
Methodology
Quantitative & Open-Ended Surveys
Goals of understanding people’s thoughts about Wawa in relation to health, price, quality, convenience, and customizability in comparison to competitors
Social Listening
Focused on various subreddits focused on foodies, Californians, Wawa fanatics, and former West Coasters. Done to see how views differed between these groups
Interviews
Talked in depth with Californians to validate secondary findings and gain true insights directly from Californians
MRI Simmons
Created a persona of our skeptical Millennial Californian target to simplify the audience down to the important info
Nobody Loves a Gas Station
The Problem: Gas stations provoke negative feelings in people
Few positive sentiments or feelings were reported, with neutral feelings being the second most reported feelings.
The negative feelings were relatively broad, some common ones being dirty, expensive, grimy, sketchy, smelly, and worry. None of these are things you want associated with you if you are selling food
These general negative feelings are found nationwide
Survey results for gas station word association
Oh the Horror… of Gas Station Cheese
The Insight: Californians are truly terrified at the thought of gas station food
The previously stated problem exists nationwide, but the food itself is what truly terrifies Californians on a whole new level
Californians on average truly do care more about the quality of their food than the rest of the nation
When they think of gas stations, they think of a gross, run down gas station in the middle of nowhere serving 7 day taquitos and pump cheese nachos
We found that when former West Coasters discussed eating at Wawa on the East Coast with their parents, the parents were horrified that they willingly ate at a gas station
Wawa? Never Heard of Her
The Strategy: Wawa is the unknown worth experiencing
By associating Wawa with the unknown, they avoid entering the market being viewed as a gas station, something that would immediately doom their chances of success
By focusing on being an unknown, Wawa can push back against the preconceived notions Californians have against them
Opens up Wawa’s brand to align with West Coast needs and desires by framing Wawa as its own unique entity
You Hate Stereotypes? Good, so do we
The Creative Campaign: You Don’t Know Wawa
A campaign aimed at fighting stereotypes with stereotypes
Californians are no stranger to stereotypes, and they hate them. So this campaign confronts them with Californian stereotypes and contrasts them with gas station/Wawa stereotypes in order to show that stereotypes are not always true
Captures attention through unique mediums such as a satirical soap opera displayed on socials and Wawa gas pumps, and triple back to back billboards in high traffic areas of LA, as well as typical mediums such as socials
New Californian specific menu items will be rolled out to coincide with this campaign and expansion
Creative Outputs
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Gas Pump/Socials Soap Opera
What it is: Here is a mockup of how we imagine our soap opera looking on a Wawa gas pump, distributed by Wawa’s media company, Goose Media Network. It will also be distributed across all of Wawa’s socials
Why it works: Soap opera’s are an absurd medium known for leaning into stereotypes, and as such, we aim to have this be our way of getting absurd, over the top clippable and shareable content. All this while hammering in the ideas of how absurd and untrue all these Californian and gas station stereotypes truly are
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Back to Back to Back Billboards
What it is: We identified high traffic areas in LA with multiple clustered billboards to display extended yet attention grabbing ads
Why it works: By leveraging areas where consumers are stuck in traffic, we ensure they are able to engage with longer stories, making the ad more memorable and impactful
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Billboard 1
What it is: Our first billboard, designed to hook the attention of consumers
What it works: This specific billboard catches attention by poking fun at the well known stereotype of the weed loving Californian, while being just open ended enough to peak their curiosity and have them read the next billboard
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Billboard 2
What it is: Our second billboard, designed to showcase the product while continuing the story of the first billboard
Why it works: Tells a contiguous story from the first billboard while continuing to play off of and poke fun at this Californian stereotype with this new market specific product
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Billboard 3
What it is: Our last billboard in this set of 3 with our call to action
Why it works: Concludes our story while giving a clear yet humorous call to action for those looking for some munchies
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In-Store Placement
What it is: This is a mockup of a smart board featuring some of our new California specific menu
Why it works: These items are made to be a combination of Californian culture and Californian stereotypes to hammer home the ideas of our campaign while also making the area feel special with these localized items
Video Outputs
Case study video
Soap opera trailer