Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Castrol Formula Gel
Brand Awareness and Trial Campaign
Product or Service being featured: Castrol
Formula Gel Grease
Market Environment
Market Environment
• Castrol is a market leader in greases with about 30% market share with
Veedol being the next biggest player at 16%
being the next biggest player at 16%
• Between 2005‐07 Primary competition grew by 4%
• E
Emergence of regionally strong players like Penzoil
f i ll l lik P il and Pensol
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• Mechanic remains the key decision maker for brand choice with some
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influence by the channel
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• Long Life and Protection remain the two key drivers for grease segment
• Castrol currently operates on protection platform
Objectives
• Launch the Castrol Formula Gel as revolutionary new product in grease
portfolio and to build the Castrol image as the performance leader
• Capture mind share and considering that the category itself is low
involvement create top of mind recall and brand excitement for Castrol
Formula Gel
• Conduct exhaustive sampling in the Grease market
Key messages to be brought alive from activation:
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• Formula gel is more than just a grease it’s a gel
• Formula Gel protects your vehicles ball bearing the best
• Functional benefits of thermal stability and superior drain interval
Functional benefits of thermal stability and superior drain interval
Mechanics
(Primary
Audience)
Dealers/
T
Target
t Audience
A di T d P t
Trade Partners
(Secondary
Audience )
Truck Owners
(Tertiary
(T ti
Audience)
Munna mechanic aged 38 years has set up his own
Who are we taking to ? garage at Ludhiana transport nagar from last 4
garage at Ludhiana transport nagar from last 4
year’s, he is married and his family is settled in his
village at Hoshiarpur. Though Munna has over 20
year’s of experience in servicing truck’s, he has had
no formal training and has learned his skills on the
job , starting young as a helper , Munna has 5 to 6
chhootus (helpers) under him.
He has build his life around his garage as his family
depends upon his earning and his customers trust
depends upon his earning and his customers trust
him for his service and recommendations, and
hence he spends approximately 12 hours a day in his
garage, which really leaves him with very less time
for anything else.
Campaign Strategy
Campaign Strategy
• The need was to reach a large number of mechanics who are:
• Concentrated as a group or individuals(s) where they can be reached in large
Concentrated as a group or individuals(s) where they can be reached in large
numbers
• Should be made to give mind share to our communication
• Should be motivated enough to start trying the product
Should be motivated enough to start trying the product
• All these factors enabled us to focus on the Transport Hubs of the country where
heavy vehicles halt, get loaded‐offloaded and get checked/fixed before the next
journey.
But we had some questions:
• What is the consumer behavior for the category?
• What can we do in order to bring maximum receptiveness?
• How to excite the target group to try the first of its kind and expensive product in a
price sensitive segment?
• Most importantly if the traditional print and electronic media cannot gain inroads
what can we do to reach the segment effectively.
Qualitative Research Findings
Qualitative Research Findings
• The grease category is driven by price
• There is very little loyalty towards a brand. But Castrol is perceived as a premium
quality brand
• Mechanics are extremely strong influencers for selection of grease. At times they
make the decision individually
k th d i i i di id ll
• Mechanics spend an average of 12 hours working a day and lead a stress‐full life
• A significant proportion of mechanics are uneducated with negligible literacy levels
• Whil d i i
While administrating a vehicle, mechanics put their reputation/name at stake
i hi l h i h i i / k
• Their livelihood depends on their reputation in the market, thus the performance
of a product is of great importance
Strategy Statement
Strategy Statement
The core TG: Garage Owners and Mechanics are not properly educated
thus show little involvement and comprehension towards
chemical/technology based products. In order to create maximum
participation and interaction the message would have to have a visual
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language‐aid, high entertainment factor and needed to break away from
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the mundane clutter of tech speak that the category depended on.
It gave us food for thought to make our strategy. And the campaign was
born with its main protagonist as the “poor ball bearing”
Campaign Concept
Campaign Concept
Ball‐Bearing Found Injured –
Breaking news in Transport Hubs
Breaking news in Transport Hubs
• Ball Bearing has been found injured under mysterious
circumstances Some are calling it a suicide while others think it
circumstances. Some are calling it a suicide while others think it’ss aa
murder.
• News One (a Dummy News Channel) gets you minute by minute
exclusive coverage of the tragedy, So this News Van visited various
Transport Hubs in order to break the story
• News One probes by talking to various mechanics at the Transport
Hubs and declares that it was a desperate situation ‐ Due to
unbearable circumstances: Excessive temperature and short drain
unbearable circumstances: Excessive temperature and short drain
interval, Ball‐Bearing was stressed and Committed Suicide
• The situation is scary and needs an immediate remedy
An act where Curiosity shall create brand excitement and break
An act where Curiosity shall create brand excitement and break
clutter with its light hearted infotainment approach. This combined
with the visual led approach will ensure communication to be
audience friendly and attention grabbing.
Campaign Execution
Campaign Execution
• Attention grabbing announcement and highly charged drama was created,
bringing alive the modus operandi of a news channel, who are constantly
sensationalizing any “Happening” to grab TRPs.
• Emphasizing upon the pain of a ball bearing as it has to undergo huge
pressure in its daily performance, and still it is very small and insignificant
part in the entire machinery. Concept ensured that ball bearing got its due
and got the mechanics thinking about it in an active way
• The interaction played upon the curiosity factor and engaged with the TG
in a show and tell manner through following steps:
Pre hype
Pre‐hype
• News One broke the story of Ball Bearing:
News One broke the story of Ball Bearing:
• Ball Bearing Attacked
• Ball Bearing in Critical Condition
ll i i C i i l C di i
• Who to be held responsible?
• A series of 3 posters were put up across the
p ( p y
Transport Hubs (especially near the
mechanics stalls)
Ball Bearing Attacked Ball Bearing in Critical Condition Who is the culprit?
Activation and Interaction:
Activation and Interaction:
• Probe
Probe by the reporters of News One
by the reporters of News One
• Next day saw a news reporter from News One
went to mechanics and in typical Breaking
went to mechanics and in typical Breaking
News style in order to investigate this accident
• Most mechanics were caught unaware and did
M h i h d did
not know what had happened and started a
guessing game: talking to the reporter
i lki h
Product touch and feel:
Product touch and feel:
• The interaction suddenly came to a standstill when a Castrol van came to
them and from there appeared the Castrol Formula Gel Man who exposed
the reason for ball bearing not keeping well
• Formula Gel Man gave the mechanic and reporter the entire spiel about
the brand and established that if the mechanics started using the new
Formula Gel Ball bearing will be fit an fine and running.
• Gel Man handed over the pack of the formula gel to the mechanics for
them to touch and feel the new improved grease that Castrol had
launched.
Vote of confidence:
Vote of confidence:
• Via feedback from target audience
• Those mechanics found the Formula gel to be superior than regular
grease; went on to sign a signature campaign – giving their support as a
gesture of approval to the brand
• As peer opinion is a driving force in this community; the signature
campaign ensured that there was immediate and positive word of mouth.
It ensured that the opinion leaders reinforced the messaging and that the
fence sitters followed
Outcome
• Innovative and unique teaser for the category, the category for the 1st
time saw communication on the lighter side.
• Creation and introduction of the GEL MAN who is now symbolic of the
product and is now the product mascot.
• Attention grabbing and lasting interaction as each mechanic was spoken to
personally and had a one‐on‐one interaction with the brand
• Optimum utilization of the resources to keep the activation cost effective
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and yet not dilute the essence of the communication
• Localized communication in each zone and each Transport Hub keeping in
mind the local language nuances. The campaign was in 14 languages
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Results
• Reached 38 key markets / cities and 80% of target market in the country.
• Reached a fragmented audience across the country and was executed in
14 key local languages in the country
• Direct interaction one on one with over 1.5 lac direct buyers and
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influencers.
• 35000 plus trials done with sampling and touch and feel of the product.
• Vote of confidence feedback demonstrated a reinforced positioning for
Vote of confidence feedback demonstrated a reinforced positioning for
GEL as a leader in its category.
• Dipstick – post 6 months of the activity an independent research was done
on brand recall: It was found that GEL Man
on brand recall: It was found that GEL Man – and the product had 72%
and the product had 72%
plus recall.
Highlight
For a new brand launched in a “boring” non interactive
category a campaign with objectives of awareness and trial
generation conducted over only 25 days in the absence of
mass media achieved a 72% recall
mass media achieved a 72% recall.
CASESTUDI
ES