The Big Idea

The Castrol Magnatrek is a five-day family event that puts competing teams of three head-to-head in some intense mental and physical challenges armed with nothing more than their trusty car, a dose of wit and Castrol Magnatec oil.

Creating a successful radio promotion is all about aligning the campaign to the client’s needs. “It is for this reason that Mediamark has built a relationship with Castrol to ensure a better understanding of their objectives,” explains Loren Brown, account manager at Mediamark. “This understanding has been translated into the implementation and execution of Castrol campaigns and is no better illustrated than with the Castrol Magnatrek promotion where we have tweaked and aligned the campaign to ensure that Castrol’s goals of highlighting their superior and trusted oil brands, are met.”

“In a world where consumers are increasingly becoming time-starved, campaigns should thread the intended communication through various channels to achieve the maximum impact for clients. Castrol Magnatrek is a perfect example where Mediamark, in partnership with Castrol and its creative agency Ogilvy, have designed a campaign that is about the dialogue created with the Jacaranda FM listener thus connecting with the Jacaranda community via on air exposure.”

The 360° campaign consisted of power spots, listener competitions, live crossings, social media updates from the participating Jacaranda presenter (Janina Oberholzer, co-presenter on the Martin Bester Drive) during the week of the Trek (Monday, 1 October to Friday, 5 October), home-page takeovers, newsletters, flash media executions as well as a Castrol Magnatrek microsite on Jacarandafm.com.

The Strategy

According to Charlette Roets, Passenger Car marketing manager for Castrol, part of the strategy is to create and own the Part Synthetic Category in the Retail Market. “The majority of consumers are still currently buying multigrade oils and as the number of cars on the road is changing, with cars becoming more sophisticated, part and full synthetic oils will be required. The strategy is to start creating awareness of these grades, create the category and then own it. Castrol Magnatrek is one of the Magnatec activities that assist us in educating consumers on part synthetic and create brand awareness.”

She continues by saying that the promotion was historically run through various other radio channels. “In line with our strategy, we have decided to look at all marketing activities through a product lens rather than Masterbrand. After a thorough analysis and evaluation of various options, Jacaranda FM was the best fit. The promotion is specifically focussed on Magnatec and the Guardian consumer (Family Man). After the first year, we evaluated the promotion and based on an increase in brand health and awareness scores year on year, we decided to continue with this promotion. The partnership that we have with Jacaranda FM has also assisted in added value which contributes to a better ROI.”

The Outcome

Radio is often seen as a product and price medium and not so much as a brand medium. “This campaign shows that radio can drive awareness,” concludes Brown. “With the right approach, brand awareness can be successfully achieved.”