Stop patronizing, start inspiring. The type of individuals who change their own oil know a thing or two. They know about engines, life, and grit. They are vestiges of what is perceived as a complex art — worthy of celebration and ultimately validation of their choices.

Enter Never Idle, the creative core idea and campaign theme for Valvoline. A positioning statement that solidified the link between the hard-working DIYer and the ever-evolving brand. A campaign that welcomed the juxtaposition between philosophers, athletes and motor oil.

By reintroducing respect to the motor oil audience, Valvoline is validating this skill set as something meaningful and timeless. Becoming more relatable to a wider audience set, encouraging trial and adoption by a more diverse Millennial audience.

Through the course of the year, the Never Idle mantra incorporated numerous campaigns, including a social media influencer program, an engaging celebration of the rich history in racing, a hyper-focused effort to celebrate high-mileage owners and their cars and ultimately the content strategy that birthed TeamValvoline.com. This content site was developed with custom content, ranging in topics from car clubs and an homage to the ’76 Chevy Laguna to DIY tutorials and even an episodic series with Cable TV’s Frank Fritz. Some of this content was also behind a membership wall, to establish the brand’s CRM platform and grow our digital community.

The culmination of the thinking was :60 television spots that challenged our audience to think - focusing on their life and their drive. The ultimate example is the :60 iteration, voiced by modern philosophers and thinkers that takes on fear and time as the greatest enemies of

Helped Valvoline achieve record profits for the year

Helped the brand achieve #1 in social in category in the U.S.

Garnered more than 5 Million visitors to TeamValvoline.com

The Never Idle idea quickly transformed into a mantra that manifested in everything the brand worked to achieve. It became the rally cry that inspired Valvoline’s tactical approach, media strategy and content tone. The idea of relentless improvement is at the core of the brand’s foundation and the Never Idle mantra was so contagious, that it worked its way through internal channels and took hold at the corporate level as a powerful motivational touchstone.