Wawa launched Hoagiefest NFTs — and nearly 65,000 people signed up to win one

During the week of its annual Hoagiefest back in July, beloved convenience store chain Wawa tested the digital waters with a new project.

The company’s tech team rolled out a new Hoagiefest sweepstakes, giving folks the chance to not only walk home with a free hoagie, but also with a one-of-a-kind nonfungible token, or NFT.

Corporate branding of NFTs is increasingly a trend. Senior Manager of Customer Insights and Strategy Todd Miller told Technical.ly that Wawa is always exploring different ways to engage with its customers, and that the metaverse is one of the tech-related topics the company’s had plans to explore in the past year.

“We know NFTs aren’t for everyone but noticed a trend with some of our customers becoming more and more interested in NFTs, the Metaverse, etc. and took this as an opportunity to test and learn,” he wrote in an email.

The sweepstakes was the first time the company put Hoagiefest graphics and Wawa products into the “virtual world.” This contest’s digital assets are each one of a kind and based on the designs and visual elements of past and present Hoagiefest commercial illustrations. The illustrations then became more than 5,000 unique collectible NFTs, of which 12 were rare animated NFTs and 5,000 were generative NFTs, the company said.

Customers had the chance to enter the sweepstakes from July 8 through July 24 — and nearly 65,000 people signed up, Miller said. The company chose 11 winners to get an animated Wawa NFT, a personalized t-shirt that matches the artwork and a Hoagiefest swag pack. One other winner will receive an animated NFT, t-shirt and swag, plug a Reese’s swag kit. Fifty winners got a generative NFT, t-shirt and Hoagiefest social swag pack, and 3,950 people got a generative NFT.

If any winners decide to resell their NFT, Wawa won’t receive profit or financial benefit, but a portion of the sale will be directed to one of Wawa’s national charity partners, the company said in a statement.

“While we don’t expect everyone to be intrigued by the world of NFTs, we are excited to see such excitement with so many entries received overall,” Miller said.

Ayo I won a free Hoagie NFT from @Wawa 🥪 LOL pic.twitter.com/ESP6ksbfvt

— jp.swoosh (@manifesto_jp) July 30, 2022

We are in the darkest timeline with @wawa making NFTs pic.twitter.com/9my0LkIoGz

— gale my beloved (@birddperson) July 18, 2022

LETS GOOOO @Wawa #NFT #NFTs #Wawa pic.twitter.com/6qaCXc3UQ4

— dsoles.eth (@dsoles_eth) August 1, 2022