Building Reputation on the Racetrack and Beyond

By Janna Hughes, Account Supervisor, Edelman Houston

World class open-wheel racing made a pit stop in the state of Texas in Q4 of this year with the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston and the second annual Formula One United States Grand Prix in Austin. With the help of Edelman, client Shell Oil Co. leveraged both Grand Prix events to achieve widespread business, brand and reputation benefit.

As part of Shell’s corporate sponsorship of the events and close technical alliances with partners like Formula One and IndyCar, the organization was able to create a centerpiece initiative – a scalable, branded experiential area – called the ‘Shell Mobility Experience’ to educate invited stakeholders, racing fans and general consumers about innovation and technology for road transport. The Shell

Mobility Experience was also created with the goal to increase brand awareness and positive reputation of the organization by showcasing Shell products in use in the motorsports environment.
Below are a couple of key, successful tactics that Shell and partners executed as part of the Grand Prix events, which can be adapted for future client initiatives involving sponsorships:

Corporate Storytelling: In its infancy, racing pioneered ways for cars to move faster, longer and more safely, which new automakers inexpensively adapted for street vehicles. Today, motorists use decades of race-inspired technology such as engine-cleaning fuel additives and advanced lubricants for better performance on the road.

Shell understood that Grand Prix events offered outstanding visual examples of Shell’s innovation and competitive edge on the track and on the road through the lens of motorsports. The Shell Mobility Experience at the track served as an essential platform for storytelling starting with interactive displays, live demonstrations and a simulated lab with real tools (e.g., engine valves) and Shell scientists who could speak to performance and future of fuels, further helping consumers see the connection between the racetrack to the road. Storytelling was also accomplished through the creation of historical timelines that were displayed through the event and used in online channels to highlight examples like Shell’s long-standing technical alliance with partners such as Scuderia Ferrari - dating back 60 years - and background on Shell’s successful US Eco-Marathon events.

Partnerships at Work: This goes without saying, but worth reinforcing that partnerships require close collaboration throughout every step of the relationship in order to achieve a successful outcome for all parties involved. 

Grand Prix race organizers and Shell worked as one cohesive unit; holding multiple weekly meetings and closely collaborating to develop joint communications materials. Motorsports events also provided an advantage for Shell to build credibility and forge relationships with customers, such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Tours of the Shell Mobility Experience were scheduled around the events to help customers get an in-depth look at Shell’s positioning in the motorsports space.

Digital is Key: It was a no brainer for Shell to execute a social media strategy around Grand Prix events. With the help of Edelman Digital, pre-event, during and post-event strategy was deployed to educate consumers not only about the events, but Shell’s role in motorsports. An eight-week content calendar was formed by Edelman Digital to frequently communicate event updates and Shell motorsports content to the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram communities. Real-time content was also posted to these channels during the events to drive education and help remote fans feel like they were part of the events. In addition, geo-targeted posts were developed, along with customized hashtags, to entice fans to talk about the Shell experience for a chance to win special consumer experiences at the track.  

Hometown Always Wins: The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston event was found to be a more effective platform for stakeholder engagement and partners largely due to the close proximity of the event to Shell US headquarters. The location offered Shell the opportunity to create activities beyond the racetrack to engage key stakeholders and partners, including a Proclamation ceremony with the Mayor of Houston to kick off race weekend. Shell held multiple pre-event business engagements, such as an Alternative Energy forum for stakeholders and a Lubricants luncheon with global Shell leaders to communicate key business messages to media and customers (OEMs) using the Grand Prix event as a backdrop for these activities. 

For an inside look at the event, check out the below footage of the Shell Mobility Experience in Austin: