Effie Case Study: Miles a Pump With Personality

As one research subject was quoted as saying, “gas is gas” – there’s no difference in the quality, and getting it is a mundane task that merely interrupts the flow of the day. And BP has historically targeted consumers by pumping out gas characteristics and selling points of why its gas is better for cars.But younger drivers are less excited about cars and see vehicles as just a requirement of a busy life. BP has used this to focus on an entirely new experience around pumping gas.Starting in select BP locations in Chicago and New York, BP modified and placed interactive pumps that they dubbed “Miles,” who communicated with drivers during those few captive minutes while refilling. Miles quizzed consumers with trivia questions, took Snapchat-like photos for them to share, provided news and weather, and played that consumer’s favorite music via Pandora.To help call attention to the new test pump, media walkthroughs were held for journalists to experience and cover. “Good Morning America” did a piece, and content partnerships were done with The Onion and The A.V. Club outlets where Miles was the focus of short videos that were spread via social networks. Radio spots released info on where Miles was and what to try, too.The campaign generated 833 million media impressions, and in two months found its way into 2,000 broadcast segments including stories from Yahoo Tech, The Verge, ABC, Chicago Tribune, New York Post and Ad Week. The campaign saw higher rates of brand recall from consumers, and gasoline volume grew by 9% in Chicago and 6% in New York. The biggest gain though was seeing people have a revolutionized, more enjoyable experience at the pump. A Facebook brand tracker study showed that BP improved its name as a brand that provides a better experience by people exposed to the pump compared to those who were not.

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