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Filler Moments Case Study
Client
A 100-year-old oil and gas brand known for its iconic green DINO, Sinclair distributes and markets gasoline through over 1,600 independently owned gas stations in more than 30 states; quality products are refined through its parent company, HF Sinclair (NYSE: DINO).With a growing business, each year our needs and marketing campaigns change. The Balcom team provides fresh ideas to evolve our historic brand. The results of this campaign really speak for themselves.
The Challenge
Sinclair tasked Balcom with developing an integrated marketing campaign – both traditional and digital media – to generate awareness of (and visits to) Sinclair gas stations. With a massive and diverse target audience including all driving adults across 30 states, we needed a campaign that spanned multiple generations as well as multiple media outlets.
Insight
Sinclair’s fuel quality equals that of top competitors, but what lifts the brand a step above is the positive sentiments people have toward DINO – sentiments Balcom has confirmed through multiple brand awareness studies over time. We also found that customers were particularly interested in fuel prices and convenience store (C-store) options. Based on their media habits, we planned a multimedia approach in markets Sinclair identified as top-performing for fuel sales, or markets in which Sinclair was looking to grow.
Creativity
We focused mostly on people, not products, with blue-sky visuals celebrating how pit stops become beloved “Filler Moments” with the DINO statue as well as C-store snacks and swag; key pieces also promoted fuel savings through the DINOPAY® app. Our media team proved that creative ideas come from all over the agency; they proposed transforming the car icon in the Waze driving app into a Sinclair DINO and negotiated a value add with the vendor to make it happen.
Technology
In addition to traditional print and outdoor media, a robust digital buy included Waze and GasBuddy app advertising, Google Local Services ads and Google Search ads. For our commercials on connected TV, we added overlays with QR codes to download the DINOPAY® app. We also partnered with a 3D artist to transform DINO into a Waze car icon. These platforms allowed us to track campaign success on multiple levels, including which people exposed to our campaign went on to visit a Sinclair gas station.The Results
The campaign, with media plan coverage in more than 30 states, garnered 160M impressions, which led to tangible returns for Sinclair: 3.9M station visits tracked, ultimately resulting in a $178 return for every $1 spent on marketing by the second year of the campaign.Stats
160M impressions
12.6M miles driven in DINO car icon on Waze
3.9M station visits traced through foot traffic attribution study and trackable navigations through Waze and Google
6.5% behavioral lift
$178 return on ad spend per $1
Awards
2023 Fort Worth PRSA Worthy Awards
- Worthy Award – Filler Moments – Marketing Communications
2023 Fort Worth American Advertising Awards
- Honorable Mention – Filler Moments – Television Advertising – Regional/National Campaign
- Honorable Mention – Filler Moments – Integrated Advertising Campaigns – Consumer – Regional/National
