When your entire operation relies on the performance of a single piece of equipment, protecting it shouldn’t be an afterthought or an area to pinch pennies. But when maintenance professionals look at only the input cost of engine oil, they end up doing just that.

Chevron Lubricants needed to change that mindset and demonstrate how a compromise on engine oil now could mean bigger costs down the line. With compelling proof offered through an engaging video series that combined expert insights, dramatic behind-the-scenes testing footage and the credibility of an industry influencer, this campaign delivered.

A strategically formulated approach

Nationwide focus groups with target buyers validated by a quantitative survey revealed a skeptical misconception and key insight: maintenance professionals believe “oil is just oil” and that all options are basically the same. With this perspective, why would anyone pay more for one brand over another?

We needed to help these buyers realize that their choice was impacting their bottom line well beyond the purchase price, and take a social-first approach to show them how the right oil could not only help them overcome obstacles but provide a competitive advantage.

Since we were dealing with some seriously technical information, we needed an approach that would pique interest and educate the audience. A roundtable discussion format set the stage for natural, organic conversations with two senior engineers from Chevron Lubricants.

But in order for the content to really hit home, it had to come from someone they could relate to and trust. So, we tapped industry influencer Bryan Furnace, founder of the YouTube channel Diesel & Iron and host of the Equipment World YouTube show The Dirt.

With his experience as a heavy equipment operator and established social presence (over 8.4 million YouTube views), Bryan was the ideal personality to interpret technical explanations through the lens of an end user and ask the tough questions that would elicit the clarity and understanding this audience demands.

Nothing compares to the power of proof

To uncover the truth behind oil formulations and how they keep engines protected, we went straight to the source at Chevron Lubricant’s Richmond Technology Center in Richmond, California. But we didn’t stop there. We got exclusive access to the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, for a behind-the-scenes look at how oils are torture tested to prove their ability to protect in the most extreme conditions. This gave us all the proof we’d need to tell the story.

Here’s a sample of the end result:

Find the full series of three videos here:

The roundtable conversation video series garnered 435K views and 4M impressions at 1/3 the cost of the CPM benchmark. Mission accomplished.

The primary objective of this campaign was to get operators thinking about their choice of engine oil as a strategic business decision and to move them to engage with educational assets.

The roundtable conversational video series garnered 435K views and 4M impressions at 1/3 the cost of the CPM benchmark.

• 4M impressions
• 1.6M engagements
• 11.6K link clicks
• 435K video views

The social content resonated extremely well with our target audiences, and has consistently been Chevron Lubricant’s top-performing content since launch.

Roll credits

From the first planning conversation to the final video edit, it takes a team of dedicated, specialized experts to bring a project like this to life. In addition to the on-camera talent, amazing production crew and highly engaged clients, Qmates who worked on this campaign include: Mark Heine, James Betteridge, Rick Payne, Frances Ranger, Carolyn Niebel and Jamie Keith.