Petroleum brand Caltex has launched the ‘Keep It Going’ campaign using various social media networks which will keep a classic car going. For this socially powered road trip celebrity DJ Sasha Martinengo will travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town in a classic car and will broadcast his show Gearz on Ballz live from the road. During this trip, the DJ will stop at 20 Caltex filling stations.
This campaign and trip consist of three phases that have started on October 29th and will end on December 8th and will be hosted on Facebook and Twitter (@CaltexSA and #keepitgoing). The first phase (29 October 2012 to 16 November 2012) invites people to vote for the car to be used for the road trip– choose Lucy, the 1996 Mazda MX-5, Ivan the 1978 Mercedes SL 450 or Grace, the 1958 Triumph 3a. The second phase (17 November 2012 to 30 November 2012) focuses on assisting the driver – participants Tweet suggestions on what Sasha should pack, where to go and what to do, while the last part of the campaign (03 December 2012 to 08 December 2012) is the actual road trip and filling the tank with #keepitgoing @CaltexSA.
“Without public participation, he will be stranded, therefore he has to make sure his trip is engaging and entertaining for the 1,600 kms if he hopes to get enough people tweeting #keepitgoing to ensure he can fill his tank using Caltex with Techron® fuel” said Marlin van Noie, creative director at digital agency Quirk.
Participants involved in this campaign also have something to gain as a total of R40,000 in cash can be won. There is a R10,000 prize for each of the first two phases, while there is a 4,000 daily cash prize to be won during the five day road trip.
“The social media campaign aims to position Caltex as a trusted and loved South African brand with the use of an interactive and engaging campaign that is relevant to the new brand television commercial and everything that Caltex with Techron® stands for,” added Mr. van Noie. “Throughout the trip, we’ll be highlighting each Caltex forecourt that Martinengo passes through and highlighting why they play such an important role in every trip.”
The campaign is intended to emphasize the Techron® fuel’s superior cleaning properties and will also be promoted through a TV ad campaign.
“From the get-go, we knew that the cars were at the centre of the emotional pull of this campaign. We decided to place the cars in settings that would accentuate them while showcasing scenery you might find on a typical South African road trip. We were fortunate to work with Gideon van der Watt, a great photographer who captured the classic cars and from this base, we composited surreal imagery based on real South African locations. We opted for a high contrast design (embellished and emotive imagery within a simplistic layout) to capture our audience’s attention,” Mr. van Noie explained.
This is an interesting campaign and a challenge for Caltex as it must keep people interested throughout this period. It is also another example of on- and offline activities combined within a successful campaign, that goes beyond using social media only. All this definitely makes it a campaign to watch.
About Violeta-Loredana Pascal
