The Campaign

Research showed that the majority of Shell’s target audience were parents – parents whose purchasing decisions were often largely impacted by their children. Fortunately for Shell, they had longstanding partnerships with two things loved by children around the world – LEGO and Ferrari racing cards. And with the summer break soon to be in full swing, many families would be taking vacations together, often travelling on long road trips. This presented Shell with an opportunity to be more than just a brief stop on the road, and instead become an essential part of these family memories. We capitalized on these two opportunities to design a fun-themed campaign called Fuel Your Fun at Shell. With online and offline elements, Fuel Your Fun at Shell integrated LEGO, Ferrari and Shell through the family bonding experience of the summer vacation, creating a deeper connection between Shell and its audience.

Execution

Fuel Your Fun at Shell began online with the series of photographs showing the Shell LEGO models at iconic tourist destinations such as Beijing’s Great Wall and Chengdu’s teahouses. These were posted by Shell and its local partners on their official social media accounts, where users were encouraged to post their own photos of the models during their family travels. To redeem the models, consumers could collect points by playing the interactive mobile game or use coupons earned by purchasing Shell fuel. The only way to physically collect the models was by visiting Shell stations, providing further incentive for consumers to stop by at the pumps. Coupons could also be collected at offline events held at China’s busiest shopping malls. These events further leveraged Shell’s partnerships with Ferrari and LEGO, showcasing its 60-year history with Ferrari and their combined success in the motorsport arena.

1. Fuel Your Fun At Shell generated new levels of awareness for Shell in China: • Total media impression for the campaign were 356,297,450+. • On WeChat (China’s largest social media platform), total readership of campaign content reached 164,534+. 2. And also contributed significantly to consumer participation and sales: • As of September 2015 (three months after kick-off), total page views for the campaign site were 353,922+. • The total number of consumers who had participated in the themed game reached 711,000, with coupons bringing in close to 180,000 USD in sales • Across the country, sales rose by an average of 12 percent (versus a target of 5 percent). In Chongqing Municipality sales increased a soaring 70 percent.

The Situation

Fuel Your Fun at Shell leveraged existing sponsorship and partnership deals from Shell’s global marketing resources to develop a campaign that was specific to the China market and its target audience. The campaign did not include a large media spend and generated coverage primarily through earned exposure.

The Strategy

With family at the centre of Fuel Your Fun at Shell, we needed an approach that could attract young and old alike. Key to this was a collection of limited edition LEGO models showcasing Shell’s partnership with Ferrari. To get the pubic excited about these models, we began promotion online, using a series of photographs from a renowned Chinese photographer depicting the models at iconic Chinese tourist destinations. Offline, we designed a mechanism to promote a series of 7 unique LEGO models showcasing Shell and Ferrari’s partnership. The only way for consumers to obtain these models was either by playing a mobile game and redeeming the rewards at Shell stations, or by collecting points through fuel purchases. We also held offline events allowing participants to learn more about Shell, its 60 year partnership with Ferrari and its leadership in fuel technology.