2021 SHORTLIST

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MOBIL 1 / NBA 2K21 PARTNERSHIP

Entrant Company: Mobil 1 & GMR Marketing

FINALIST

Best Engagement Through Esports & Gaming

Mobil 1 / NBA 2K21 Partnership

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The Mobil 1 brand decided to pivot to an opportunity in the gaming space - a first for the brand - by partnering with the NBA's most popular sports video game, NBA 2K21.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

We were able to grow an entirely new audience through gaming integration – expanding fans to become fans of Mobil 1 and giving them a reason to trade up in a timeframe when motor oil is typically not on the shopping list. Mobil 1 gave shoppers a reason to pay attention to a category that differentiated their brand from the competition. While others were focused on the garage, Mobil 1 took their game to a brand-new arena.

This partnership extended far beyond the in-game integration. Mobil 1 developed their very first Twitch stream by leveraging their sponsored in-game online event, the Mobil 1 Grand Prix. Mobil 1 ambassador, LA Laker Anthony Davis, participated in the Grand Prix which was broadcasted on NBA's Twitch channel. For the NBA fans who may not be 2K fans, this allowed an opportunity for Mobil 1 to showoff branded integration.

By leveraging data and insights to show the high indexing of DIY motor oil shoppers in sports gaming, Mobil 1 was able to differentiate themselves from their competition by offering a promotion that not only was of interest to our demographic, but also grasped onto an emerging trend of gaming as shoppers hunkered down at home.

 

Objective: Not surprising, motor oil isn’t on the top of the holiday hot list. While shoppers are looking to make their dollar stretch in order to splurge on holiday gifts, Mobil 1 motor oil sales tend to see a plateau in the holiday timeframe. On top of the typical seasonal trials, 2020 layered on a national pandemic that pumped the brakes on auto travel.

It became apparent in our research that there was an opportunity to leverage our existing sponsorship with the NBA to integrate the brand into an NBA 2K21 promotion. We would measure success by impressions of the program, engagement post-purchase through a promotional offer, and, of course, a sales lift that would be a true comeback for the ages. Therefore, we needed to develop ownable moments and structures for 2K fans to understand how the Mobil 1 brand fits in NBA culture.

 

Strategy & Execution: Time stood still in the NBA between March and July 2020. ExxonMobil is a NBA league partner, yet the season on pause caused a halt in all ExxonMobil activation. The modern sports fan was craving competition and an escape from a COVID world, and several fans turned to gaming which spiked in popularity last year.

The partnership was driven primarily by the Mobil 1 retail team to offer an exclusive NBA 2K MyPLAYER boost when a shopper purchases a bottle of Mobil 1 oil exclusively at Walmart. With shoppers having no plans to get back on the road, we needed to evolve our plan to the landscape. Our goal was to leverage the emerging trends and shopper mindsets of the pandemic to determine new targeting opportunities and create an omni-channel shopper program at Walmart.

Demographic studies showed DIY shoppers index high with playing sports video games, and that they are 39% more likely than average shoppers to notice brand names within video games.

PRODUCTION

ExxonMobil, GMR Marketing, The Integer Group, 2K

 

CREDITS

Sr. Shopper Marketing | Strategic Accounts, ExxonMobil
 
Account Supervisor, GMR Marketing
 
Associate Account Director, The Integer Group
 
Manager, Partnerships and Licensing, 2K, 
 
Consumer Brand Strategy & Comms Advisor, ExxonMobil
 
Sponsorship Activation Advisor, ExxonMobil
 
Brand Manager, ExxonMobil
 

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