• by Karl Greenberg , February 15, 2008

ExxonMobil is backing its Mobil 1 motor oil brand with an integrated ad push propelled by the brand's association with Nascar racer Sam Hornish, Jr., who drives the Penske #77 Mobil 1 Dodge. The effort, "Put some Nascar in Your Car," is timed with the Sprint Cup Series season.

Included in the new push are TV, radio, print and online advertisements. The company has also launched a new Nascar Web site, www.mobil1racing.com, and is extending the effort to retail locations--Exxon, Mobil and On the Run stores.

The new print and broadcast spots will run on broadcasts of Nascar races and print media and more general media. Ads show prosaic driving with a Nascar tinge. One has a mom in a minivan on whose flank is emblazoned "06" in racing-number font. Text says "Six minutes to soccer practice ... it's not a Nascar race but you still drive your engine hard." Ads say Mobil 1 is used by over half of all Nascar teams.

Dermott Ryan, Americas Communications Manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties, says the company is boosting its spend for Mobil 1 this year, with the new sponsorship. "Over the last coupe of years we were associate sponsors of [Penske Racing's] Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch. We are continuing that association, but we will now be primary sponsors of Hornish. So we have aggressive campaign planned." He says media will be both racing venues and outside the core racing circuit.

"Nascar is part of our broader Mobil 1 strategy, and an important part because it helps us get across the message that Mobil 1 is appropriate for everyday driving." He says the company did research that suggested that while consumer awareness of Mobil 1 is strong, "consumers have less clarity around understanding that everyday driving conditions are appropriate and benefited by using Mobil One."

Mobil 1, as Official Motor Oil of Nascar, is also running "Mobil 1 Extreme Lift Game," a promotion with a grand prize of a personal helicopter ride to and from a Sprint Cup Series race, VIP tickets and a private tour of the Penske Racing Shop. Entry is via a game code under caps of specially marked bottles of Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Extended Performance.

Retail offerings include collectible cards featuring the Penske team with purchase of any item at Exxon, Mobil and On the Run stores.

ExxonMobil has also launched a new site, mobil1racing.com, which has activities like a "Pit My Ride" feature, where one can customize an everyday car to look like a Nascar racecar.

Ryan says Nascar is the right way to promote Mobil 1 for everyday driving. "The way we look at it is this. Nascar has 75 million fans, giving us the opportunity to leverage passion, loyalty and the sheer scale of the sport. And it's a catalyst to transform [in consumers' minds] Mobil 1 to everyday applications. It's a means to an end. There are three products central to motorsports: fuels, tires and oils."

Mobil 1 is the world's leading synthetic lube brand and the market leader in U.S. in market share for synthetic oil products. While Euro RSCG is ExxonMobil's corporate ad agency, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Specialties is handled by N.Y.-based McCann-Erickson.