Results and Effectiveness

10m “Castrol’s Protect Your Idol” weekly votes (average). 1m votes on Castrol’s own mini-site weekly (average). +5m page views on own mini-site. +1000% increase in Castrol related Weibo activity (from average 1 to 1000 mentions / day). 300% growth in searches for “Castrol” and “Castrol Magnatec” on Baidu. Overtaken competitors Mobil One and Shell Helix 78% sales growth. +200 new workshops contracted during campaign period. 420% ROI amongst weekly audience of 140m as 3rd tier sponsor with ¼ of financial investment of 1st tier sponsor. And, with 1 in 14 viewers voting, we had given people in China a voice.

Creative Execution

Chinese talent shows differ from global formats: online voting is historically forbidden by the government because it mimics a democratic election process, so at-home audiences have no say in the outcome of the show. Contestants are at the mercy of the judges and the studio audience alone. But Castrol, with Idol’s producers, created a never-seen-before element: “Protect Your Idol”. For the first time ever China’s at-home audience would be heard: Fans could vote online to give their idol an advantage in the elimination rounds, whilst the “Castrol Index” showed TV viewers who was winning support. Votes were made on Castrol’s campaign mini-site, driven by in-show prompts and behind-the-scenes content on Castrol’s Weibo (Twitter). Castrol also integrated WeChat (voice-message app) into a live TV show for the first time ever, allowing fans to vote via mobile. Or they could use WeChat to improve their singing voice and share songs with friends.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Who is Castrol? What’s it for? Weibo (Twitter) is littered with examples of mistaken brand identity (“When the auto-shop asked me which engine oil I wanted, I said ‘Carlsberg’”) Castrol needed a distinguishing idea to demonstrate ‘Magnatec’ oil protects your engine at ignition, when it is most vulnerable; improve traffic and searches for Castrol; and keep YOY sales trend at 36%. With an estimated 30 official, and more unofficial, reproductions of ‘talent show’ programming in China 2012-13, brands flock to these near-guarantee hit shows. In 2013 American Idol was launched in China and Castrol opted in. But with a 1/4 of the investment vs. first tier sponsors, they would have to do something special. All sponsors try to stand out. Few try to stand for something. None had given the fans a voice. Castrol would help fans protect their favourite singers, just like Magnatec oil protects your engine.