Case Study: Caltex's 5 Star Fuel- Activation Using Augmented Reality

Just how many drivers understand or are even interested in how petrol can possibly clean the car engine? All petrol brands advertise that their fuel can help you achieve a clean engine. However   consumers’ purchasing decisions are still driven by price and loyalty programs, largely due to a lack of interest and understanding of the benefits of a clean engine.

Caltex’s challenge was to arrest declining market share across 7 key markets. We had to convince drivers that not all fuels are the same and they can enjoy 5 benefits by using Caltex with Techron. Our tasks were to educate, convince and excite drivers on Caltex’s 5-Star fuel, and be seen as a real differentiator in a cluttered mix.

The objective was to improve market effectiveness scores, awareness and preference of Techron by 10%.

We got drivers genuinely concerned when they witnessed first-hand the dirty deposits that plagued the engines. By exploring augmented reality, we created the Techron Superhero game and took drivers right into the heart of the engine to demonstrate Caltex with Techron’s cleaning capabilities. On-ground roadshows powered by AR technology, supported by a multi-platform TV and online campaign were deployed across Southeast Asia. On-ground garnered over 30,000 eyeballs, TVCs reached 27.6 million households and gained 9,000 additional enquiries for Caltex with Techron.

Caltex embarked on an on-ground exercise in key markets, which allowed drivers to see for themselves first-hand the dirty deposits in their car engines at local car workshops. For the first time, drivers became genuinely concerned as dysfunctional cars or immediate replacements would result in costly consequences, with real impact to their quality of life.


We wanted to take this discovery to as many drivers, by replicating the experience through an immersive augmented reality activation – The Techron Superhero game. The idea was to transport each participant into the car engine, transforming them into Techron Superheroes that destroyed dirty deposits with Techron molecules. Top scorers were incentivized with Caltex petrol vouchers to drive product trials. Social sharing was enabled for participants to share their virtual Techron Superhero personas.

A pan-regional TV campaign was also launched to communicate the Caltex 5-Star benefits. A series of lifestyle-angled TVCs were used to illustrate relatable road conditions with a touch of humour to cut through conventional petrol ads. TVCs continued to emulate how Techron destroys dirty deposits in car engines to deliver the benefits. We focused on exclusive program premieres on leading general entertainment, sports and factual channels in order to maximize reach. Delivery of TVCs via YouTube to capture TV light, Internet heavy drivers provided an integrated, multimedia approach.

AR game (2-days roadshows per market)

• 5,000 participants, another 30,000 eyeballs of brand exposure

• 9,000 additional enquiries about Caltex and Techron

• Successful executions across Southeast Asian markets have prompted keen interest to extend project to South Africa and U.S.

TV, YouTube

• Reached 27.6million households, 8.4x media ROI to Caltex

• 440,000 views on Caltex brand channel

Brand Measurement

• Caltex internal brand research scheduled for Q1’14 (market effectiveness, awareness and preference)