News: Accounts

Archer Group Helps Wawa Reach Facebook Fans with Fun and Function

Tapping into the Wawa fan base on Facebook, The Archer Group, a digital marketing agency located in Wilmington, Del., created a Facebook application that lets Facebook?s 100 million users share their love of Wawa with their friends.

The "just for fun" application lets Facebook users send their friends digital images of Wawa-branded items, including Shorti® hoagies, flatbread sandwiches, hot coffee and iced tea. They can also tell their friends they're about to make a "Wawa run," invite their friends to order their favorite items and announce that they?ve returned with the order.

"Our research showed that Wawa?s fan base on Facebook was strong, and this fun application was the perfect first step to join in these conversations," explains Lee Mikles, founder and CEO of the Archer Group. "Social networking requires a different approach to reaching people than other forms of internet marketing, but it is a critical component for any online marketing effort."

While traffic to social networking sites is exploding, an effective means to reach this audience has been a bit more elusive. This Wawa Facebook application lets Facebook users place the Wawa marketing message front and center to other friends. This marketing between trusted friends adds credibility to Wawa?s message and provides opportunities for future marketing to these people.

"Without any promotion of the application, there were over 50,000 uses within the first month. We are very pleased with the widespread use of this tool and the new communication path this opens with Wawa fans," Mikles says.

The application also includes links to Wawa's home page and to its store-finder tool, so users can easily learn more about the chain of 570 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.