ZIPS Cleaners and Ravens Partner to Boost Brand Visibility in the Baltimore-DC Area

ZIPS Cleaners is currently running a marketing campaign with the Baltimore Ravens to emphasize brand values during the NFL Season and increase brand visibility in the Baltimore-Washington DC market.

This campaign involves in-stadium signage, pre- and post-game radio spots, and a promotion offering two season tickets to customers through a weekly drawing. The promotion is being advertised in-store, through Ravens emails, and via in-stadium signage.

In addition to the marketing campaign, ZIPS is working to strengthen its partnership with the Baltimore Ravens and enhance customer engagement. This includes providing tickets to franchisees each week, OOH banner ads on billboards, the Ravens’ website and fan emails, exclusive email offers with special discounts, lockers for pickup and delivery at the Ravens’ executive offices, and Game Fits posts on social media covering player arrivals.

Mary Ann Donaghy, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Manager for ZIPS Cleaners, said the ultimate goal for the campaign is to have consumers in the market think of ZIPS as their go-to choice when they want to look, feel, and smell fresh and awesome without overspending.

“I’m looking at trends and what people are interested in. And we’re learning more about what drives people to use dry cleaning,” said Donaghy. “We know consumers of dry cleaning are [very image conscious] and they care about what they look like before publishing on social media.”

ZIPS additionally launched an in-store sweepstakes, allowing both existing and new customers to scan a QR code and enter to win two tickets along with a VIP package of goodies for an upcoming game.

For Instagram, the brand has Roman Hemby and Ruben Hyppolite II promote the brand on their own channels in their own posts as well as sponsored ones to engage with its audiences with a call to action to use its app or website to sign up for ZIPS Terrapin Wash. Under the agreement, ZIPS of College Park will deliver and pick up goods twice a week on four campuses of the University of Maryland as part of One Maryland Collective’s name, image, likeness (NIL) program. The financial agreement between the parties was not disclosed.

In addition to this, the brand is leveraging its partnership with the Ravens to give away a legendary game day prize package for every home game: two lower-level tickets, a parking pass, plus a VIP prize package full of merch.

Mary Ann Donaghy explains that social media is one of the many ways the company connects with its customers. She emphasizes that social media helps keep the messaging fresh and relevant, allowing for more customized approaches with different audiences and scenarios. It provides a great deal of flexibility in communication and engagement.

“We post a lot of our game winners. When our customers win tickets to a game, we find them in their seats and share the moment on social media, asking them to tag us in their posts. We also collaborate with various partners and try to tap into all the available options and tactics within social media,” she said.

As part of a renewal of its sponsorship with the Washington Commanders, ZIPS is also working with the team again. To kickstart it, lockers at corporate offices were cleaned and altered, as well as uniforms for band and cheerleaders and the team mascot that had no IP rights. ZIPS intends to show up authentically, reach audiences, and engage with consumers beyond just ads, just as brands did at this year’s Super Bowl and NFL Draft.

This story has been updated on 9/18/2024 with more clarification on the ZIPS Terrapin Wash.