The Challenge

With such a diverse range of audiences, a key challenge for Shell is ensuring marketing efforts are targeted, timely and relevant.

Buying behaviour has also changed. Companies do more research online, qualifying suppliers before they contact a salesperson.  Purchasers expect personalised content and need to trust in a business’s vision and values, as much as knowing they have the right products. 

Shell’s business marketing needed to evolve to meet these challenges, particularly as COVID pushed even more activity online.

The Strategy

In keeping with our strategy of putting the customer first, we needed fresh, engaging ways to capture their attention. For example: 

Power Pursuit Challenge: we created a platform-style video game, showing an engineer racing across the city collecting tools and of course, Shell products, to keep the lights on.  

This was used at industry events, attracting 1,000 plays in three days, proving a valuable way of capturing attention and contact data. Surprising Views of the Industry: a partnership with Bloomberg and Reuters, used their extensive photo library to uncover striking images of different sectors, which were used throughout the programme.  

To further engagement, a competition was launched for professionals to share their own behind-the-scenes photos of their industry.  

Influencer Engagement: we worked with a range of third parties including Wind Europe, DNV, Frost & Sullivan, Smart Freight Centre and B1M on expert articles, webinars and videos to reach new prospects. 

New Digital Content: we’ve created an exciting range of digital content, including a 3D, augmented reality experience of a future factory; a web scroller, which takes the viewer on a journey explaining how digitalisation is reshaping different industries and a Carbon Calculator to quantify the benefits of running sustainable operations.

The Outcome

The programme was implemented across 18 countries, and the results surpassed all expectations.

Better, more engaging content: 80% higher click-through rate and 92% higher engagement compared to Shell benchmarks. 

Better performing content: The programme delivered up to 134% return on investment in key markets. 

Cost-per-lead per campaign improved by 65% against target. 

Bigger, better business impact: Exceeded target for generating marketing qualified leads by 189%. 

Tripled conversion rate. Drove confirmed increases in volume sales and margin.