Shell introduced V-Power NiTRO+ in 2023, a groundbreaking formulation of their premium fuel designed to deliver enhanced performance while maintaining essential protective benefits. In a post-COVID market recovery, convincing consumers that not all premium fuels are created equal posed a formidable challenge. Faced with a saturated market, our task was to redefine perceptions of premium fuels for Premium Road Warriors, our target audience.
Navigating uncharted territories for energy providers, we sought to infuse a century-old energy company with a fresh, emotionally resonant appeal. Our objective: stir excitement for SVPN+ by capturing the essence of unbound performance in an experiencial way that could live in the digital and real world.
Shell Ultimate Road Trips, fueled by SVPN+, enabled people to travel to places they had never been before, the newest frontier: The Metaverse.
For years, Shell has been enabling people to travel to the most incredible places in the real world, but to promote V-Power NiTRO+, Shell wanted to enable people to travel to places they had never been before.
Gaming could help the brand reach a new audience (64% of Fortnite gamers are 18+) and communicate the benefits of their new gasoline in an experiential way. The moment of inspiration struck when we delved into the world of our audience (Premium Road Warriors) and uncovered their deep connection with gaming—a language they not only love, but live, dedicating 16 hours per week to the virtual realm. Recognizing that video games offer a unique stage for our audience, where the pursuit of winning and performance mirrors their real-world aspirations, became our pivotal insight.
We also discovered a particular behavior in gamers, they enjoy taking screenshots of the virtual worlds they visit and then share them on social, the same way one would when traveling in the physical world. 84% of Americans surveyed said they take road trips, and gaming much like traveling, is about escapism, adventure and discovery. During Road Trip season we set out to bridge a digital and a real-world experience.
Shell Ultimate Road Trips brought 6 of the best Fortnite map creators together to design 6 of the most beautiful and challenging terrains, all in 1 gameplay map; unlike anything done in Fortnite Creative. At the center of the game is a Shell station, where V-Power NiTRO+ levels up your car. Gamers had to break the performance robbing sediments and drive through ramps which propelled them to the most instagrammable places in the metaverse. The goal? Share screenshots from the most iconic in-game locations, for a chance to win the ultimate road trip in the real world.
We partnered with content creators to promote the game map through their different social media platforms and engaged with gamers on YouTube and Twitch livestreams.
Gaming platforms such as Reddit, IGN, and Twitch created custom content to further drive the message. We delved deep into behind-the-scenes videos that showcased how the map creators ideated and built their different terrains. IGN created live gameplay content for true Fortnite fans, identifying the different easter eggs that we left throughout our map and videos showcasing how your car was truly tested for speed and performance.
The campaign promotion concluded with a tournament at TwitchCon. Shell Ultimate Road Trips held an all-day event where gamers could compete on stage and online for prizes.
Results went well beyond projections revealing that gamers loved discovering the different road trips and challenging themselves on the different terrains, with a playtime average of 20 min, 92% higher than the industry benchmark. New gamers visited our map consistently, with a 75% increase in Daily Unique Player (compared to benchmark). The campaign garnered over 230MM impressions. And, in the end, the brand saw 38% uplift in purchase intent, confirming what we set out to do, redefine the perceptions of Shell’s premium gasoline.
