ZIPS Car Wash Launches Industry First, Multi-Year Collegiate Sports Sponsorship with LEARFIELD

News provided by

Aug 09, 2022, 10:03 ET

Parties Unveil Innovative National NIL Custom Content Featuring

Student-Athletes with School Marks

PLANO, Texas, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZIPS Car Wash (zipscarwash.com) has announced its multi-year investment in 13 collegiate athletic programs through an extensive sponsorship agreement with LEARFIELD. This marks ZIPS first foray into college sports marketing and represents the largest sponsorship of its kind in the growing car wash industry. ZIPS' most highly concentrated markets of its 250 locations are in the southeast, where it has targeted the sponsorship most heavily.

ZIPS Car Wash Launches Industry First, Multi-Year Collegiate Sports Sponsorship with LEARFIELD

As part of its multi-school relationship with LEARFIELD, ZIPS is now the proud sponsor of six universities – Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. ZIPS will have category exclusivity at these respective SEC, Big 12 and ACC member schools, where LEARFIELD is the athletics multimedia rightsholder. There are seven additional universities included in a different capacity, with projections to scale the sponsorship throughout the length of the three-year agreement.

Notably, ZIPS will engage in the LEARFIELD Allied program to connect school IP with student-athletes in name, image and likeness (NIL) activation – aptly named "Car Wash Convos" – featuring interviews with Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee student-athletes while they experience a car wash at ZIPS. Additionally, its overall sponsorship agreement provides ZIPS with significant brand visibility among the university fanbases through assets which include IP marks, radio, social and LEARFIELD's Fan365 digital product.

"ZIPS is the only company in the car wash industry who is investing at this level in blue chip universities, introducing NIL partnerships in three states and offering gameday tickets to our customers through sweepstakes held in the new ZIPSme portal," said Gene Dinkens, CEO, ZIPS Car Wash. "We're proud to lead the way in collegiate sports sponsorships on a broader scale and to show our support in the communities we serve."

The ZIPSme portal was created to enhance the ZIPS customer experience by offering sweepstakes, partner perks and the freedom to manage a ZIPS Unlimited Membership online. Another component of its multi-year agreement with LEARFIELD enables ZIPS to kick off football season by offering its unlimited members exclusive access to enter to win college gameday tickets and other prizes.

"ZIPS is a forward-thinking industry leader, and we are proud to welcome them to the collegiate athletics space," said John Brody, Chief Revenue Officer, LEARFIELD.

"We are also delighted to incorporate a groundbreaking NIL-focused custom content program, curated and produced by LEARFIELD Studios, featuring student-athletes proudly wearing their school colors. As the 'front door to college athletics,' we look forward to further building the relationship between ZIPS and our partner institutions."

ZIPS growth has and will continue to be via acquisition and greenfield development as the company expands across the country. In 2022 alone, ZIPS has acquired 45 locations with a growth rate of nearly 50%, making it a record year of expansion thus far for the company.

About ZIPS Car Wash

ZIPS Car Wash, headquartered in Plano, Texas, is the largest privately held car wash operator nationwide. ZIPS is among the fastest growing express car wash chains in the country, operating more than 250 locations across 24 states. With over 18 years of car washing experience, ZIPS has invested in industry leading technology, creative hiring and training methods, local partnerships, and a laser-focus on customer care as driving forces behind ZIPS growing business model. ZIPS Car Wash is about much more than getting cars clean. Our #1 purpose is to make people happy, from our community outreach efforts and fundraising programs to our focus on employees. ZIPS strives for a great, clean, and fun customer experience. To learn more visit: zipscarwash.com.

ABOUT LEARFIELD

LEARFIELD, based in Plano, Texas, is a media, data, and technology services leader in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. LEARFIELD services include licensing and collegiate sports properties' multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics and insights; ticketing software and ticket sales; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for NACDA's acclaimed LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, recognizing athletic departments across all divisions.

SOURCE Zips Car Wash