Inside: Castrol India’s #HangUpYourKeys

Castrol Activ rolled out #HangUpYourKeys campaign encouraging everyone to stay at home and continue to help those on the frontline. The brand discloses further details on how the campaign was created & executed from home.

In the current state of a global lockdown, advertisers are acting more responsibly and advertising is more about communicating than selling. Castrol Activ announced the launch of its new campaign, #HangUpYourKeys, applauding the efforts of the citizens helping communities during such testing times. The film showcases real-life stories of young Indians making a difference, even while at home. 

The consumer awareness campaign urges people to park their vehicles and extend their support in this fight against the global pandemic by staying at home, yet doing their bit for society and protect what they love.

The idea behind the campaign is for the brand to advocate something that goes against their product & very purpose - that is to give up riding.

The Brief

Castrol's creative agency, Lowe Lintas was briefed that the prudent youth support and encourage social distancing, but that doesn’t stop them from protecting what they really love. Whether it’s their passion for client’s health, ensuring hygiene in their building/ society or continuing to build eco-friendly material.

Especially when they see so many essential service providers going out of their way to serve the people, they do think they want to continue to do their bit.

Castrol Activ as a brand supports aimed to encourage the youth of India to continue to protect what they love – and even when they Hang the Key to do what is right.

Objective - #HangUpYourKeys

Castrol India wanted to start a social campaign for the public at large. The main idea of #HangUpYourKeys was to encourage social distancing as #IndiaFightsCorona and at the same time share and applaud every-day heroes.

“With this campaign, we wanted to inspire people to become catalysts of change and become an inspiration for others. Hence, you see four such real-life stories in our video,” shared Sandeep Sangwan, Managing Director, Castrol India Limited.

At the same time, the brand has taken up CSR initiatives to support the government in its fight against the pandemic, supporting hospitals as well as various vulnerable communities like truckers, mechanics and migrant workers.

Campaign Execution

Sangwan recollects, “When we thought of the campaign idea which was about the message of social distancing while continuing to do good, the first question was how do bring all the pieces together? From celebrating stories of ordinary heroes to ensuring we are able to present it in an inspiring way given that everyone was working from home.” 

Also Read: Interview: We use Digital to compliment our TV campaigns: Kedar Apte, Castrol India

He further highlights the team spirit of agencies displayed, including the creative and media agencies, as well as all Castrol Activ’s internal team members who had to manage various time zones and geographies using available technologies.

“This is the time when everyone needs to be indoors and stay safe. Hence we are doing a video campaign only. Along with the video, we have TV actors who have endorsed the campaign, helping to take the message to more people and encouraging others to come forward,” Sangwan added.

The brand campaign relies heavily on celebrity influencer outreach; as a part of their collaboration with Zee Media, the Castrol Activ campaigns sports many TV personalities & show protagonists sharing message of staying home & contributing.

The brand launched yet another social campaign called #SaluteTruckers during this period to acknowledge the silent and tireless work done by the community during this crisis.

Crisis Communication

Castrol India claims to be taking all the necessary measures to support its employees, support staff, distributors and suppliers during these difficult times. The team is working with various NGOs to provide medical support in the form of medical supplies, ICU essentials, and equipment to various state Governments.

Through its Castrol Eklavya CSR initiative, the brand has
also reached out to over 62,000 mechanics and extended a small contribution
into their bank accounts linked to Castrol FastScan to enable them to purchase
essential food items and personal hygiene items for their families.

The various initiatives lined up aim to bring up more stories of people who may have hung up their keys but have not hung up their boots. However, apart from reposts of the celebrity influencer videos, the brand hasn't done much across their social media handles.