Doner Cardwell Hawkins is poised to unveil a pounds 10 million drive for
the rebranding of Mobil’s 700 service stations with BP livery.
A teaser poster campaign on 96-sheets has already appeared across
London, showing a sky-blue background with the strapline: ‘Have you
heard?’
The main campaign will break on Monday with TV and national press work,
and is timed to coincide with the formal merger of the two oil giants.
The first phase of the campaign aims both to build awareness and to
generate excitement that something is happening in the petrol retailing
market.
A 30-second TV teaser ad will break across the capital initially, where
it will run for three or four weeks before rolling out nationally.
Entitled ‘drums’, the commercial opens on a close-up shot of a man
climbing up giant metallic stairs. As he reaches the top of the climb,
he finds a case which he opens and takes out what appears to be a set of
drumsticks.
The action cuts to the other side of town where another man is seen with
a similar set of drumsticks. The scene then opens up to reveal the two
men playing two huge oil drums, each of which is branded BP and Mobil.
The TV work will be supported by press ads in quality national
newspapers with executions that echo the TV creative, targeted at the
business community and BP shareholders.
‘Drums’ will go on national release in December. Another 60-second ad,
‘click and drag’, will break later that month as the rebranding drive
kicks in and aims to explain the full benefits of a merged operation to
consumers.
The UK creative will also roll out across Europe in December as part of
a dollars 35 million drive. Media planning and buying is through
MediaCom.
‘Drums’ was written by Mike Sullivan, art directed by Brian McPeak and
directed by Gore Verbinski at Palomar Productions.