The agency will position BP as a ‘progressive, innovative and environmentally responsible business’ against the backdrop of the green agenda.
It will also focus on the ‘higher quality’ of BP fuel, following March’s debacle over contaminated supermarket fuel, which led to thousands of cars having engine trouble.
The account, which is estimated to be worth at least £100,000, was won following a competitive five-way pitch.
BP hit the headlines in May when its chief executive Lord Browne was forced to quit after it emerged he had lied in court about a gay relationship. Earlier this week BP’s quarterly figures showed a 45 per cent drop in profits. Meanwhile, the new CEO Tony Hayward slammed the company’s performance as ‘dreadful’ in a recently leaked internal memo.
The Launch Group has worked on a series of consumer projects for the fuel giant over the past five years. In May, the agency saw all BP’s project work go up for grabs. Now it has beaten its rivals to win back the business, at the same time claiming an extended brief which includes B2B and event activation.
The agency is now res-ponsible for promoting BP’s fuel portfolio and initiatives such as BP’s carbon offsetting programme for motorists, as well as communicating BP’s biofuels offering. As of April 2008, suppliers of fossil fuels must ensure that a proportion of the road fuels they supply in the UK comprise green fuels such as biofuels.
On the B2B side, the agency will push schemes such as the corporate ‘fuel card’ initiative.
The account will involve experiential marketing to both the B2B and B2C markets, which includes sponsorship activation around motor industry events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the World Rally Championships. The account will also include some digital work.
The account will be overseen by Launch CEO Johnny Pitt. The team reports into BP UK fuels marketing manager Mark Reader.
