May 1, 2006 12:00 AM, By Amy Johannes

• CAMPAIGN: Need for Speed Integration
• AGENCY: MarketSource IMS
• CLIENT: BP Lubricants
• PARTNER: EA Games

When Castrol Syntec, a premium motor oil, sought a new way to reach its young, car passionate audience, the brand found its mark with video games.

In its first-ever attempt at hard-coded in-game advertising, Castrol Syntec found a way to show consumers (in a virtual world) the brand’s power and performance.

Building excitement around motor oil priced two-to-three-times higher than its competitors wasn’t an easy task. Consumers needed a convincing (and exciting) reason to spend more on a higher priced product, says Michael DeBiasi, marketing director, BP Lubricants, the Wayne, NJ-based maker of Castrol Syntec. What better way to target Castrol’s core demo than through a racing game, he says.

“The male 18-to-34 demographic is increasingly difficult to reach,” DeBiasi says. “They are watching less TV. [They] spend hours and hours playing video games. It seemed like such a great medium to leverage.”

The company tapped agency MarketSource IMS, Howell, NJ, to develop a game plan around Electronic Arts’ video game Need for Speed Most Wanted that integrated the product and its message into the title. The goal? To drive purchase intent and brand awareness of the premium priced product as a high-performance motor oil.

“A lot of consumers are moving away from television and into mediums like video games,” says Claire Lipnicki, account director at MarketSource IMS. “You need to be creative in the ways you reach out to young men.”

With EA on board, MarketSource took Castrol’s in-game messaging well beyond product placement, blending the brand into the game play experience. Real world placements included Castrol Syntec-branded quick lube stations, billboards and a branded “safe house” where players start the game, detail their cars or rest between races.

Using the brand’s tagline “unlock the power,” Castrol sent a cheat code via e-mail to thousands of Castrol database members to unlock a Castrol-branded Ford GT—one of the most powerful cars in the game. Players also took advantage of the Castrol Syntec Performance Package, an oil upgrade for the Ford GT that helped increase the vehicle’s speed and performance (only available at certain levels in the game).

“We didn’t try to force fit the brand in to the video game,” Lipnicki says. “There was a natural fit so it was not obtrusive to the game player. Overall, it was a great way to reach consumers.”

The placement made the brand top of mind for players, generating a 23% increase in awareness after playing the game, DeBiasi says. The racing game with Castrol’s messaging kept players engaged and captivated, he says.

“It really seemed to capture the hearts and minds of these young consumers,” DeBiasi says.

As a result, the campaign contributed to a nearly 30% increase in Castrol Syntec sales in the fourth quarter—the only oil product in the category to report an increase, Lipnicki says. Some 8.3 million copies of Need For Speed Most Wanted have sold since the game’s release last November.

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