Mumbai: Gulf Oil Lubricants, a Hinduja Group Company, has on-boarded popular Indian women cricketing star and current vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, as its new brand ambassador.
With this, Gulf Oil becomes the first company in the lubricant space to appoint a woman cricketer as an ambassador to represent the organization and its ethos. Smriti Mandhana will join the pantheon of famous cricketers and current brand ambassadors Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Hardik Pandya.
Gulf Oil recognises that the dynamics of the automotive segment have evolved with more women playing a pivotal role in the decision-making process of vehicular purchase and its further maintenance.
With the addition of Smriti Mandhana to its group of inspiring ambassadors, the organization has taken cognizance of the changing consumer demographics, determined to appeal and cater to the new developing customer landscape in the segment.
The new woman youth icon, Smriti, is the ideal brand ambassador as she embodies Gulf Oil’s strong sporting heritage, and her commitment to outperform is in line with the organisation’s values. Through this association, Gulf Oil aims to celebrate women’s power and inspire female audiences in the country while also honouring the achievements of Indian women cricketers.
Commenting on the decision to rope in a female brand ambassador, Gulf Oil Lubricants’ managing director & CEO Ravi Chawla said, “In the recent past, we have witnessed a surging demand for our products from a new audience segment. As an organisation that is determined to lead with the evolving times, we seek to strengthen our brand recall among women vehicle owners in India. The remarkable Smriti Mandhana was a natural choice for us as she shares a lot of synergy in values with Gulf Oil. We have a long history of associating with top athletes in the country. Smriti undoubtedly enjoys a high level of popularity & credibility in the cricketing world at large. We believe this association will help us connect with consumers across the spectrum, male and female audiences alike, reinforcing our brand philosophy and enhancing our engagement with the sport of cricket.”
Gulf Oil Lubricants head of marketing Amit Gheji added, “Smriti is a natural choice to represent the brand considering her achievements and wide appeal with the cricketing audience of our nation. The popularity and viewership of women’s cricket in India are expanding and we can only see it growing from here. Together, we look forward to creating exciting campaigns that will help the brand get even closer to its consumers. We already have MS Dhoni and Hardik endorsing our brand and now with the addition of Smriti, we look forward to living our brand promise of ‘Together, we’re Unstoppable’.”
Mumbai: Gulf Oil India has launched a digital film as a part of its on-going Gulf ‘Superfleet Suraksha Bandhan’ campaign to appreciate the truck drivers who have been behind the wheels to ensure an uninterrupted supply of essentials and medical supplies.
This digital film themed around the festival of Raksha Bandhan, depicts how sometimes even loved ones need to change their outlook. The film shows how the emotional bond shared by a trucker brother and his sister comes alive when she realises the hard work he has been putting in all through the pandemic.
Truck drivers have been engaged in delivering medical supplies including oxygen tanks, cylinders, and medical aid even during the most challenging times of this pandemic, sometimes compromising their own health. When this realisation dawns on her, the truck driver’s sister ensures his safety and well-being by getting him inoculated against Covid-19 at a vaccination camp organised by Gulf Oil.
Gulf Oil India, under the SurakshaBandhan campaign, has successfully vaccinated more than 10,000 truck drivers across the country, said the brand in a media statement.
“Throughout the pandemic, our trucking community has been on the roads, risking their lives, to address the demand, supply, facilitating the efficient movement of goods, essentials and medicines,” said Gulf Oil Lubricants India, MD and CEO, Ravi Chawla. “Gulf Oil recognises the challenging job undertaken by the community, involving long hours of functioning and limited family time, to support the economy and country. With this vaccination drive, we were able to educate, inoculate a part of the trucking community and ensure safeguarding them against the novel coronavirus. We would like to thank our trucker brothers for coming out in numbers and using this opportunity to get vaccinated.”
MUMBAI: If there’s one sport that unites people all over the world, it is football. Cricket maybe a religion in India, but football is life for billions of fans in every nation. When a Neymar changes teams for $260 million, as many – if not more – weep or rejoice. India too has its legions of football lovers: Estimates are that 283 million of them viewed football in 2018-19. The Premier League remains by far the most watched and supported football league with an awareness level of 79 per cent amongst soccer fans, according to a Brand Finance research report. The league itself has estimated that 155 million Indians track it, its teams and the players throughout the year, religiously. In the 2018-2019 season, 30 million actively watched the Premier League.
Run by the UK’s Football Association, the 28-year-old league is available in 643 million homes in 212 countries globally with a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion. 20 clubs each play 38 matches against each other (at home and away) on Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoon.
In 2017, the league roped in Gully Boy Ranveer Singh- who is also a keen Arsenal follower – as its official brand ambassador for India, thus broadening its appeal within the country.
The typical Premier League enthusiast is a new millennial, affluent, someone who wears either Levis or Killer jeans or a Zara T-shirt, goes on a holiday in India at least a couple of times a year, uses personal transport, orders from an e-commerce platform at least once a month, and is located in the metros and mainline cities. He meticulously follows the game scores, is tech savvy, tweets and posts about the game on social media. Women also seem to have developed a fancy for the Premier League as they comprise a sizeable 30 per cent of the fan base.
The Premier League mania is so strong that official clubs have sprouted up nationwide in almost every metro supporting the top teams: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Tottenham Spurs. These clubs have affiliations with the mother clubs in the UK and have a presence in almost every metro and major city in India. Memberships run into 500 plus in almost each city, making for a massive fan base.
31-year old Mayur Bhosale is a Chelsea fan and also the marketing head of the team’s official fan club in India. “For me football is my life. I am so looking forward to the next season of the Premier League. This time the gap between the previous season and this one has been short, which is good.”
MAYUR BHOSALE (SECOND FROM LEFT):A DIEHARD CHELSEA FAN
Mayur’s day job is as a chief engineer with one of Airtel’s data centres in Pune. But the nights are devoted to football. “I watch every match – even when the kick-off is late at night 12:30 and ending at 2:30 am. I will wake up the next morning and head to my meeting weary in body but fresh in spirit.”
Tony George, who works in a pharma company, is the chairman of the Arsenal India Supporters Club, Kerala chapter. “We have been following the Premier League for the past 19 years and especially Arsenal. We are expecting the team to do better this year, with new signings.”
In fact, the supporters’ clubs normally have screenings when the matches are on, with 50-200 members gathering in a club, and making merry while watching the furiously-paced game on a large screen. Brands such as Budweiser, Kingfisher and Heineken have supported the get togethers in the past. Other brands which have been consistent partners – especially of the Manchester United Supporters Club – include: HCL, nutrition brands like ON and RiteBrite, Apollo Tyres and home grown beer brand White Owl.
“People come dressed in colours of their favourite team,” says Mayur. “They are tattooed and they cheer every forward’s move and defender’s success at intercepting a rival’s pass. We replicate what we believe is happening in the stadium. Budweiser is the partner for many of our initiatives and for us Budweiser is our favourite beer and is equal to the Premier League.”
According to him, most of the members of the fan clubs are either students or those who are newly into their professional careers. “70-75 per cent of them are in that age group of 23-29 years,” he reveals. “25-30 per cent are above 30 like me.”
With clubs being shut thanks to the pandemic, fans have migrated to the virtual world. Mumbai-based Chelsea fan Andre Rodrigues says meetups have happened over Zoom ever since the pandemic hit India. “The Mumbai chapter has organised some Zoom meets for quizzes and discussions over the last few months. And we will continue to do so for the coming season as well during the matches as well.”
Mayur adds that the Chelsea Fan Club has made five Zoom bridges bringing together 600-700 fans across cities, thus catching their reactions towards the action during the live matches and screenings in the past few months. ”We have done at least four or five these,” he says. “These probably are here to stay. Then we have our Whatsapp group, Instagram handles, and our Facebook pages where we constantly engage.”
Disney Star India – the broadcast partner of the Premier League in India – organises large format match screenings for various team fans across cities under the brand Select FC.
Mayur, who loves his Jawa two-wheeler, wears Woodland or Adidas shoes, when he goes to screenings, remembers his experience fondly. “It was a fantastic vibe,” he says. “They gave us a few gifts, had quizzes, free beer coupons and the fact that we were all together egging our team on was memorable. For us, Premier League fans, it rules.”
This access to young affluent and passionate fans of Premier League is wooing over marketers, media buyers and planners. The platform helps drive associative value for brands and categories which want to target this unique audience and are driving initiatives and association which help them dive right into the fan sentiment and integrate/embed themselves amidst this tribe and get the rub off and preference of this audience.
PREMIER LEAGUE FANS GATHER FOR A SCREENING IN A CLUB
For instance, Hero Motocorp associated with the Premier League broadcast on Star Sports last year in a Twitter contest towards the fag end of the tournament. Fans were asked to send their #HeroFanMoment with the hashtag #Raiseyourgame to support their respective teams.
Net result: the contest generated 6.9 million impressions, with Star Sports reaching out to 2.59 million unique accounts. The original announcement of the contest alone generated 3.53 million impressions and 125,725 engagements, and took the initiative amongst the top 10 trends in India for an hour and a half on the short messaging engagement platform.
Then, lubricants major Gulf Oil is a votary of the Premier League, especially in the current circumstances. According to the company’s CEO & managing director Ravi Chawla, the English Premier League is one of the most awaited seasons for football enthusiasts. Amidst the gloom around Covid, these sporting events are bringing back much-needed excitement among the consumers. Although the fans may not be able to watch the action in the stadium, we feel that a combination of the digital adoption behaviour and aspiration to continue to see their favourite players on the field will keep the fans glued more than ever. Keeping with the enthusiasm, Gulf Oil released a global film #GulfGetMovingAgain with Manchester United illustrating a new world emerging post lockdown to communicate a strong message that – "The world may have changed but our dreams haven’t”. It garnered an engagement of 4.5 million plus Manchester United fans.”
“…given that EPL is an extended format, it will have relevant brand associations. Brands are evaluating all opportunities very keenly right now,” expounds Havas Media India managing director Mohit Joshi. “The football fan base has only been increasing in India over the years and that is clear from the buzz around the sport. In this Covid year, viewers have been deprived of live sports. As a result, the season will do extremely well. More than viewership, it is the social buzz that one can already feel around it.”
With that kind of positive sentiment, don’t be surprised if during this season, brands rain heavily on the Premier League, rather than just the just the normal summer showers.
Gozoop – India’s leading independent digital-first communication company has announced appraisals for its employees.
In these unprecedented times, while most companies are cutting costs and laying off staff, Gozoop has prioritised its team’s best interests. It has decided to reward its top performers for their consistent contributions before and during the pandemic
The company had also promised no COVID related job losses as early as April despite the business being hit as companies aggressively cut down on marketing budgets. Since then the company has aggressively won new businesses such as Gulf Oil, Bisleri, British Council and Zee. As a result, the independent agency has continued to attract best marketing talent from the industry, resulting in a significant increase in its headcount.
Gozoop’s culture and people-centric decisions have time and again made a positive impact not only on the media industry but across sectors. Gozoop was also one of the first companies in India to announce menstrual leave as well as mental wellness leaves.
The company has also been recognised by Great Places To Work Insitute for five years now. In 2020, the company was named as Best Workplace in the Media Industry as well.
Speaking on the announcement, Rohan Bhansali, Co-Founder & Director, Gozoop said “The Gozoop way has always been to do the best we sustainably can for our people. I am grateful for as well as proud of the team’s valiant effort through the pandemic. We are also confident that we will emerge through this stronger. Our decision on appraising our team stems from this same sense of gratefulness as well confidence.”
Bansi Raja, Chief Happiness Officer, Gozoop said “I am so proud of Gozoop. Pandemic or not, great talent should be celebrated and acknowledged. Nothing makes me happier as head of HR than my team as well as my company prospering. We are Building to Last.”
MUMBAI: Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd has launched an animated video campaign featuring its brand ambassador MS Dhoni with the message #NewWayForward, emphasising the significance of having a positive outlook when we are all set to return to our daily routine post-lockdown.
The campaign invokes optimism even as the world continues to combat Covid2019. People away from family and friends, are waiting for life to go back towards normalisation. However, the definition of normal has changed – a world with social distancing as the new norm, prioritising our health over everything, spending time with loved ones, being considerate towards others and being mindful of collective responsibility towards the environment, are what defines the new normal.
The video focuses on the positive changes the pandemic will bring in our lives after the lockdown. It is a sensitive iteration of elemental and relevant actions that each one of us needs to remember going forward. Through this video, Gulf Oil and ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni aim to restore hope in people readying to journey towards a better tomorrow.
Gulf Oil Lubricants India MD Ravi Chawla said, “In these trying times, humankind has been facing some major setbacks. With the ‘new normal’, our lives won’t be the same. We must be conscious of our actions and collectively work towards crafting a better future. As a responsible brand, we urge our valued customers to stay strong and embrace these changes positively, so that we may emerge stronger than before.”
Gulf Oil brand ambassador MS Dhoni said, “The world is going through an unprecedented event with Covid2019. While we tackle this situation, we have had some transforming share of learnings from it. As we move ahead, we should be thoughtful about and kind to one another. The all-new norms – social distancing, and sound physical, emotional, and spiritual health, will act as the cornerstone on which we will collectively lay the bedrock for a brighter tomorrow. Maybe this is the 2020 vision, not the one we hoped for but the one we actually need.”
OPN Advertising creative head Chockalingam S said, “The idea for the film came from a meeting while we were discussing the way forward with the Gulf team and Ravi Chawla said “This crisis is an opportunity for us to strive better, and that essentially sets the tone for the film”. The film represents Gulf Oil’s spirit of being mindful, optimistic, and progressive, and stars the brand ambassador for more than ten years now – MS Dhoni. He has the ideal personality to spread positivity in these tough times.”
Video link: https://youtu.be/2H79lUwXLUE
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MUMBAI: HGSi Interactive, a business unit of Hinduja Global Solutions Limited, has developed an engaging gamified microsite for Gulf Oil’s digital campaign – You Get Out What You Put In. The microsite is designed to engage users coming in from various social platforms with a gamified message of the campaigns core thought – a great lubricant enables the vehicles best performance.
The microsite based on a racing game is fully responsive, compatible on desktop, tablets and smartphones, and was developed in less than ten days from ideation to execution. This adrenaline-pumping game is an ultimate test of skills, reflexes and concentration of the gamer. The microsite has a minimalistic interface and the game takes centre stage to set pulses racing! Weaving #YouGetOutWhatYouPutIn around the concept of hard work, the campaign emphasises that without faith, perseverance and hard work, one cannot achieve their goals. The campaign also highlights that Gulf’s range of automotive lubricants unlocks the ultimate performance of vehicles, and the power to become a champion lies within oneself.
“We are thrilled to successfully integrate Gulf Oil products into the gamification campaign for an elevated user experience. If we can make the users feel like they are a part of the brand story, they're going to be much more attached to the brand.” said HGS Interactive business head Sachin Karweer.
“Gulf Oil has been a major supporter of Manchester United and the latest campaign #yougetoutwhatyouputin is an exciting one featuring some of the iconic players of the club. We wanted to deepen the engagement of our audience with the central campaign thought and gamification provided the perfect solution. The microsite is testimony to Gulf Oil Lubricants’ passion for sports, technology and our innovative gamification capabilities,” said Gulf Oil Lubricants India managing director Ravi Chawla.
The game in detail.
In the online racing game, the player can choose between a bike or a car to play the racing game and collect Gulf Lubricant Oil Cans along the way, avoiding obstacles to prevent loss of mileage.
The game showcases how the virtual Gulf Lubricant Oil Cans offers superior performance, similar to how the real Gulf Lubricant Oil Cans provide the same results on real roads. The gamer can challenge his/her friends, beat his/her score and even beat the highest score. In addition to this, the microsite showcases a range of high-performance Gulf Oil Lubricants that enables vehicles to deliver superior performance.
Playing the game by entering necessary details like email address warrants an entry in a grand lucky draw.
Prizes include a chance to meet their favourite sports heroes and a chance to win cool autographed merchandise of Manchester United.
There are more elements of the digital campaign. By just a click, viewers can watch videos of Sport Stars like M.S. Dhoni, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Scott McTominay to know the secret formula of their success!
Manchester United, M. S. Dhoni and Hardik Pandya are promoting the microsite on their social media channels, predicted to reach out to millions of people across the world.
Contest closes on 10 Feb 2020. Winners will be declared shortly after.
MUMBAI: Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited (Gulf Oil), a leading lubricant manufacturing and marketing company in India through a unique campaign – Suraksha Bandhan, on the backdrop of Raksha Bandhan, set a Guinness Book of World Record for the largest line of postcards signed by truckers. This year, Gulf Oil enabled the truck drivers to express the love for their sisters and the will to protect them for the rest of their life by writing a heartfelt message on a postcard. The brand successfully made a line of 20,691 postcards to beat the previous world record.
As an extension to this activation, Gulf Oil partnered with 92.7 BIG FM, wherein the radio network invited truck drivers and their sisters to share their stories, moments, requests or messages they had for each other. The stories were also shared on-air as well as on the digital platforms of the radio network. A special hotline was created for truck drivers, their sisters, truck operators and truck company owners.
Ravi Chawla, MD, Gulf Oil said, “We are honored to be one of the largest lubricant brands to feature in the Guinness Book of World Records through the Suraksha Bandhan campaign. Our brand Superfleet Turbo+ engine oil promises better protection to a truck engine and hence this campaign brings together a strong connect between the brand and its core consumers – the truckers. We made sure that these unsung heroes behind the wheels, who cover miles to transport goods, celebrate Raksha Bandhan in a special way and we enabled them to send their wishes to their sisters. We are gratified with the response to the campaign and setting a world record is the icing on the cake”.
The Pledge to Protect Postcards were given out to the truck drivers, which had to be signed and acknowledged by brothers who wished to surprise their sisters on Raksha Bandhan with this special note. These postcards were collected from the transport nagars located in various cities including Mumbai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Indore, Bhopal, Rajkot, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Gwalior, Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur. They were then put in an orderly manner to create the world record.
After the world record was set, in the final leg of the campaign, the postcards collected by the team will be posted and sent to the respective sisters of the truck drivers such that they receive the same on the day of Raksha Bandhan. Through this campaign, Gulf Oil hopes to make a positive difference in their customers’ lives.
MUMBAI: RuPay Pro Volleyball League today, joined hands with Gulf Oil who like their new offering – Pride 4T Plus will provide an Insta pick-up to the league as the Technical Timeout Partner, which begins on 2nd February. The league, which is an initiative of Baseline Ventures and Volleyball Federation of India, will kick off with a match between Kochi Blue Spikers and U Mumba Volley at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi.
Talking about the collaboration, Ravi Chawla, Managing Director, Gulf Oil said, “We are delighted to be associated with the RuPay Pro Volleyball League. Gulf Oil’s passion for high performance products and excellence resonates with India’s first ever-Pro Volleyball league and we hope that Indian audience will enjoy this high-energy sport wholeheartedly “.
Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO, Pro Volleyball League expressed his views saying, “Gulf Oil is a very prestigious brand. Their association with sports like cricket, football and motorsports is very well known to everyone in the country. I am glad that they have seen an opportunity in the sport of volleyball and have chosen the first ever pro league as an avenue for association.”
Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. has been instrumental in supporting various sporting initiatives which include the likes of Chennai Super Kings, Manchester United and Gulf Racing in motorsports to name a few. Volleyball will be the next big addition to their sports portfolio after cricket in India.
Six franchises will be vying for the RuPay Pro Volleyball League title in the first edition. Ahmedabad Defenders is owned by Bonhomie Sports Event Mgmt. Ltd., Kerala's Calicut Heroes is owned by Beacon Sports while the Chennai Spartans is owned by Chennai Spartans Pvt. Ltd. U Mumba Volley is owned by U Sports, who also own a team in the Kabaddi league while Black Hawks Hyderabad is owned by Agile Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Thomas Muthoot owns the Kochi franchise called the Kochi Blue Spikers.
MUMBAI: Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited (GOLIL), a Hinduja Group Company, has signed Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya as its brand ambassador for the company’s new business initiatives and lubricants. Pandya joins cricketing legend MS Dhoni, who has been associated with the company since 2011 as its brand ambassador.
Gulf Oil managing director Ravi Chawla says, “On behalf of Gulf, we welcome Hardik Pandya. A youth icon who personifies Gulf’s strong sporting heritage, his commitment to outperform is akin to our brand ideals of quality, endurance and passion. Our association with Hardik would further enhance our engagement with the sport of cricket as well as the millions of fans and consumers across the country.”
Pandya adds, “I am excited to be associated with Gulf Oil. It is a global brand recognised for its high-performance products. I look forward to our journey together.”
Gulf Oil Lubricants is the fastest growing lubricant player in India, consistently outperforming the industry growth rate. The company is a pioneer in the long-drain interval technology and has significant OEM partnerships with top Indian and global manufacturers. In India, Gulf is associated with cricket and motorsports. Internationally, the brand is associated with motorsports and is the global partner of Manchester United football club.
MUMBAI: After a successful first season last year, CNN-IBN is back with its second season of Leader Talk, in association with Gulf Oil. The talk show features some of the world’s most well-known corporate giants and sports legends who share their ideas, thoughts, experiences and leadership mantras.
On the fifth episode of this season, Rajdeep Sardesai speaks to Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s most successful cricket captain, and Manoj Gaur, Executive Chairman and CEO of Jaypee Group. On the show, the two leaders talk about the importance of setting goals and taking risks. While Fleming believes that credit and blame should depend upon the level of ownership assigned to every team member, Gaur says a true leader should show determination and conviction at every step of the way.
Don’t miss this episode of “Leader Talk – Season 2 with Stephen Fleming & Manoj Gaur” on Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 12:30 PM followed by a repeat telecast on the same day at 10:30 PM and on Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM, only on CNN-IBN.
For more information log onto: www.ibnlive.com/leadertalk
