Branded entertainment and content has grown steadily in the United States, with relatively few regulations.

While celebrity endorsements often serve as the centerpiece for branded content campaigns, it can often feel forced, and brands find it difficult to find the right person to fit the bill.

In the motor oil category, all brands were talking about the same things (performance) and showing up in the same places (the racetrack)…and it wasn’t working.

We bucked category convention by teaming up with best-selling, car-loving country music superstar Tim McGraw.

But even if Tim was the perfect spokesperson, our campaign was more than just about him. It was about completely changing the way people thought about Pennzoil.

Tim McGraw is not only one of the best-selling musicians in the United States… he’s a man who loves cars. Growing up in the South, magic for him meant taking his truck to a field, building a bonfire and listening to music all night with his friends.

That’s what we would capture by blowing past a standard celebrity endorsement and, instead, making music Pennzoil’s entire communication platform.

Pennzoil sponsored McGraw’s summer tour through on-site activation, promotions and our “Tune-Up” series of pre-show VIP performances.

We also offered fans exclusive content, including behind-the-scenes video from the road and custom content with partners like Rolling Stone, VEVO, Pandora, Ticketmaster and Country Music Television.

Most recently, fans will have the chance to be featured in Tim’s newest music video, and Pennzoil has enlisted Tim to personally design and customize a new 2013 Challenger SRT, which he’ll take on tour this summer.

By defying category convention, we built the most successful campaign in Pennzoil’s history!

Erosion across all brand measures not only stopped, but quickly turned around.

Emotional connection to Pennzoil increased 60%, while purchase intent jumped an unprecedented 58%.

And Pennzoil brand preference skyrocketed 133% - in a category where preference supposedly didn’t exist!

The success of the campaign was recognized across the industry, winning the Billboard Concert Marketing & Promotion Award.

And with such spectacular results, Pennzoil is back for Year Two with Tim McGraw – driven by a presenting tour sponsorship and even more exciting and expanded activations.

This year, fans will have the chance to submit images and video online to be featured in Tim’s newest music video, and Pennzoil has enlisted Tim to personally design and customize a new Challenger SRT – with an exterior paint inspired by his album art and his autograph hand-stitched in the front seats – which will be on display at each tour stop, with exclusive video of the customization process online!

And with that, Pennzoil has never meant more: Long. Love. Cars.