Celebrity DJ Sasha Martinengo is to drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town in a classic car. But his is a journey with a difference.
“Everything from what Martinengo listens to and what he packs to what he eats and how he gets there is in the hands of the public,” says Marlin van Noie, creative director at digital agency Quirk.
Martinengo’s trip will be powered by tweets and he will broadcast his Gearz show on Ballz visual radio live en route. Why? Martinengo is part of the Caltex ‘Keep it Going’ campaign that involves a real time, socially powered road trip that will utilise social media platforms to keep the car going.
Van Noie says the campaign is running in three phases and is hosted on Facebook and Twitter. “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,” Van Noie explains.
To make it exciting and to get the public involved, phase one and two will allow consumers the opportunity to win R10 000 for their participation in each phase respectively, with a further R4 000 daily cash prize up for grabs for the duration of the five day road trip. So a total of R40 000 in cash to be won.
Van Noie says that the campaign is aimed at promoting Caltex with Techron® fuel’s superior cleaning properties and will leverage the new ‘Going’ brand television commercial, which launched last month to coincide with the modernisation of Caltex forecourts and the opening of new Freshstop convenience stores countrywide.
“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.”
From a creative point of view, he says: “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.
“The nature of social campaigns in general allows us to build on the idea behind the TV commercial and provide a platform to delve into the intrinsic of Caltex and Caltex with Techron® as a brand,” van Noie adds. “A social media campaign is the perfect compliment to a good TV commercial.”
Campaign timelines and rollout
The competition runs in three Phases from 29 October 2012 until 08 December 2012 hosted on Facebook and Twitter.
Phase one (29 October 2012 until 16 November 2012): Vote for the car – choose Lucy, the 1996 Mazda MX-5, Ivan the 1978 Mercedes SL 450 or Grace, the 1958 Triumph 3a.
Phase two (17 November 2012 to 30 November2012): Driver assist – Tweet suggestions on what Sasha should pack, where he should stop and what he should be getting up to.
Phase three (03 December 2012 until 08 December 2012): Road trip – Fill the tank with #keepitgoing @CaltexSA.
Facebook campaign link: https://www.facebook.com/CaltexSA/app_422532324461864
Mobisite campaign link: https://keepitgoing.caltex.co.za
Caltex SA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CaltexSA
Caltex SA Twitter page: https://www.twitter.com/Caltexsa
Tweet @CaltexSA and #keepitgoing
