The brief was to launch a new fuel across the UK - Shell FuelSave - designed to help drivers save up to 1 litre per tank. The aim was to help Shell appeal to a new customer profile – shoppers, not motorists. However, generating media coverage in a low-interest product would be a considerable challenge, made only tougher by a media landscape dominated by the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.Shell’s image as a multinational oil company had the potential to alienate some customers. To overcome this cynicism there was a need to align the brand with a personality who could connect with mainstream Britain. An added problem was the product’s lack of tangibility. The solution was a nationwide driving competition in which celebrities and consumers were challenged to see how fuel-efficiently they could drive on a litre of Shell FuelSave.

Combining a high profile celebrity endorsement, real driving experiences and credible money saving stories successfully engaged mass Britain. 80% of coverage achieved was in non-motoring media and the Global Head of Public Relations for Shell has selected the project as an international best practice case study for local PR teams.

Media events, featuring Flintoff and journalists in driving challenges, secured coverage across a wide range of media. A Shell scientist worked alongside Flintoff to give media insight into the technical innovation and ensure that the product story was given prominence in media coverage. A social media event delivered consumer buzz pre-launch with media interview placements underpinning the campaign, driving consumers online to learn how to save fuel in an interactive fuel-efficient training challenge.

A partnership with the Daily Mirror newspaper, in which high profile motoring guru, Quentin Willson was challenged to drive the length of the UK using Shell FuelSave extended the campaign reach beyond launch week. Everyday drivers were given the opportunity to join Quentin on his quest and experience the product benefits first-hand. This proved irrevocably that the product does work and each driver’s story was leveraged across consumer press.

The campaign achieved 183 pieces of media coverage between July and September 2010, with over 160 million opportunities to see/hear, 6,000 consumers taking part in an online fuel-efficient challenge and a return on investment of 17:1. The campaign achieved high awareness with over 50% of UK motorists recalling campaign messages (% includes ATL work).

The success was driven by coverage across print, online and blog channels, achieving 97% key message penetration, including: o Full page article in Daily Telegraph o "Best Buy" accolade by The Sunday Times o National exposure on Sky News and Channel 5 o 80% of coverage achieved in non-motoring media