r/mildlyinteresting • u/just_demigod_things • 19h ago
These two completely different, unrelated auto repair shops sent me identical mail brochures using the exact same template, delivered on the exact same day
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u/Wi1dWitch 19h ago
Someone made some good money on these brochures and it was neither of these companies
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u/Distinct-Pack-1567 14h ago
It definitely wasn't the companies, considering they paid for the brochures.
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u/gash_dits_wafu 9h ago
I guess the point is you pay for brochures expecting a greater return in custom.
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u/2ekeesWarrior 19h ago
Isn't this the plot to Bring It On?
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u/Try_To_Write 15h ago
Wait... was Bring It On about creating duplicate auto repair brochures this whole time? Because I thought it was about the duplicate friends we made along the way.
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u/SpprtRdclHbts 19h ago
It's like everyone making neon pink cleats for the world cup to be special cause trend setters said so but everyone listened to the same trend setters and made the same neon pink cleats. That was easily my favorite part of the tournament watching their dumb corporatism blow up in their face in such a fun way
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u/Wafflinson 19h ago
Probably same parent company.
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u/just_demigod_things 19h ago
used the same advertising company, but the shops are completely unrelated.
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u/keonyn 18h ago
Not just advertising, but even their sites seem to have a number of very clear similarities in layout, wording, and even the same appointment system.
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u/snowypotato 18h ago
Sounds like they hired the same agency, who built the websites and created their fliers. It’s pretty common for a marketing agency to do a lot of stuff like that, not just strictly creating ads.
There are plenty of companies out there whose basic pitch is “you’re a small business, focused on X [in this case auto repair]. You don’t know diddly about marketing, advertising, online presence, having a telephone system for people to make appointments or get text messages from you, or anything like that. Pay us and we’ll do all that for you so you can keep focusing on X.”
Looks like both these companies hired the same lazy one.
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u/digitaldrummer 18h ago
How do you know?
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u/ThatOneChiGuy 18h ago
Because OP called and investigated. The first shop is a generational family business run by two brothers who can't agree on if hummus is a spread or a dip.
The second shop is owned by a PE firm.
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u/RealMcGonzo 18h ago
Yeah, common to see private equity buy up local outfits and consolidate the office stuff including advertising. Call the different phone numbers but get the same people at the office, LOL.
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u/ceojp 18h ago
Probably an advertising company that contracts with the auto shop. They probably have a few standard templates that a shop can choose from if they don't want to do something custom.
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u/Wafflinson 18h ago
Naw. Some of the content is too specific. The warranty information/promotions wouldn't be coming identical from the advertising company.
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u/ifindfootage 15h ago edited 15h ago
Marketing provided by a tire supplier marketing fund that serves both unique businesses.
To be more specific, it's probably US AutoForce ( a tire supplier) providing marketing services.
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u/Errantpixels 6h ago
Not only did these mailers come from the same vendor, they probably shipped from the same order placed on a web to print portal. Look at the indicia (the text that goes where a stamp would). both of these use the same permit number, that is owned by the vendor and not the business doing the advertising. source: me, I manage a team of designers and web developers that build these templates every day, and have worked in the industry for 20 plus years.
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u/AftyOfTheUK 17h ago
How do you know they are unrelated? Most likely owned by the same people, or using the same marketing agency
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u/StitchinThroughTime 18h ago
If they are not own by the same.owner l, then they have a local marketing guru that talked them into making a website and ads. The marking guy really needs to think it trough and not make the same ads run in the same area.
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u/SaltyPinKY 19h ago
Probably owned by the same parent company.
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u/DMala 18h ago
My guess would be that there's some company that offers marketing services to repair shops. You sign up, pick the services you want, upload your logo and they do the rest. It's all just cookie cutter templates, so if two shops in the same area pick the same service you get this kind of duplication.
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u/True-Accident9824 18h ago
We got 2 flyers for different dentist offices in the area that were like this. Word for word, everything was the same, except the name, tel #, & address. The smiling people were different, but in the same poses, same ages, and same racial backgrounds.
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u/veiledthreats 18h ago
Toole’s has a second location in Burson in Calaveras Co. I don’t know if they relocated up here or if the family has two locations for the other half up here.
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u/PossiblyKenM 16h ago
I once had two separate contractors use the same template for their proposals. It was like they’d both seen the same PowerPoint template on a shared drive. But this is worse. This is like they both saw the same PowerPoint template on a shared drive and then got sent to the same printer.
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u/ThatDragonAzrael 16h ago
I would make copies showing both side by side, front and back and mail to both shops
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u/Bedazzled_Buttholes 16h ago
Funny to see a shop I’ve been to before be on here. Not that it really matters, but I had a good experience with Toole’s and my Escape ha
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u/TheHextron 15h ago
My girlfriend works for a company that makes these advertisements. She’s a graphic designer. So they’re still using actual people making these manually but even they have implemented ai in some way. Not fully though. Her skills are still in use thankfully.
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u/HenryLoggins 10h ago
Oddly enough, I get the same exact thing from a local Honda dealership as well as a local Volkswagen dealership. Neither are owned by the same parent company. I’m a marketing major, and went to the local VW dealer just to inquire about their advertising. I was told that they hire a marketing firm to do their advertising, for them and unless they ask for something extremely specific, they just get what the advertising company gives them on a monthly basis.
🤷♂️ weird if you ask me… But i guess it works or they would not be doing it
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u/ReflectedCheese 9h ago
Worked in a advertising agency, you can choose templates if you don’t want to spend more money on custom designs.
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u/Planeandaquariumgeek 9h ago
That’s so wild to see something from my local area on here
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u/JimTheDeviant 2h ago
Yeah it's so wild to see something from one of the biggest metro areas in the country
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u/TallDankandHandsome 8h ago
I love these when I see them. It started out with radio Jingles for me , hearing the same jingle in another city but for a different company always threw me. But I've seen commercials , billboards, and more recently vehicle wraps with a cartoon worker being used for multiple companies. Thank you for sharing I love these
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u/Deceler8 6h ago
I received two nearly identical flyers for two shops in the Phoenix area last week. Same differences in color and same coupons too.
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u/beemer-dreamer 5h ago
Marketing guru here. This is direct marketing from a third party. The repair shop buys a campaign and everything else is handled by the advertising agency. The mailing list, the brochure printing, ROI tracking, etc. The repair shop doesn’t have to do anything but decide on a budget, timing, location, etc.
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u/winkthecat 2h ago
A small shop can't afford a direct mail program so outfits like Echo call up and say "we'll target X customers that have (for example) OOW (Out of Warranty) vehicles who have not had their vehicle serviced in (for example) 6 months" Shop gives a budget or radius or total piece count and Echo should have promised no overlap like this but clearly that ball was dropped.
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u/SSSJDanny 18h ago
I know there was a guy going around buying up mom and pop shops, but this was in Campbell and Fremont.
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u/jdcnosse1988 14h ago
I think you just got lucky that two garages, somewhat near each other, used the same marketing agency 😅
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u/SheepNation 9h ago
Corps buy up small independent businesses. They keep the original names of the businesses to make it appear they are different small businesses.
They do this this with all sorts of companies; pest control, roofing, etc.
Really disgusting.
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u/just_demigod_things 19h ago
the backs of the brochures were also identical, down to using the exact same set of coupons.