Few would argue that the Castrol brand is as integral to the South African automotive culture as are greasy hands and hydraulic jacks and that its marketing strategies are nothing if not inspiring (remember those cheeky ‘Boet en Swaer – Can of the Best’ TV adds back in the day?).
Well, this year, Castrol celebrates its 125th anniversary with a new global marketing strategy dubbed ‘Onward, Upward, Forward’, which aims to empower local auto technicians with a set of goodies for mind and machine.
According to Melanie van Straaten, sales director of Castrol Southern Africa, “our constant focus on listening to what our customers need and delivering the best products to meet those different needs has ensured that Castrol has maintained strong brand recognition in Africa for decades.”
Building capacity
Castrol’s ‘Onward, Upward, Forward’ strategy, as it will be applied to Africa, will “focus on the ‘Onward’ and ‘Upward’ pillars,” explains van Straaten. “As part of the ‘Onward’ pillar, Castrol has opened over 50 Castrol Auto Services in Southern Africa and is rolling them out to other parts of the continent.
“Some of the key focus areas for these auto services will be supporting the development of female workshop owners, offering solar power to independent workshops and launching an exclusive loyalty programme for mechanics through Fastscan.”
The ‘Upward’ pillar, adds van Straaten, “will see Castrol developing employee skills, including technical skills in new technologies, practical training, life skills, business management, and financial literacy.”
Interestingly, included in the ‘Upward’ component of the new strategy is Castrol’s involvement with NASA.
According to Michelle Jou, CEO of Castrol: “The company will also be going galactic with its lubricants being used over 250 million miles away on NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover.
“The precision instruments on the vehicle include a weather station, ultraviolent spectrometer and a laser micro imager. Each must be able to operate in Mars’ extreme environment, a planet where in summer it is 20°C at the equator and -153°C at the poles. For this, Castrol specially developed Braycote greases and Brayco oils, which maintain their ability to provide lubrication despite dramatic temperature fluctuations.”
As far as the ‘Forward’ pillar of the new strategy and how it will apply to Africa is concerned, South Africa will have to wait for further news from Castrol. But, Jennifer Heyes, marketing director for Castrol Africa, says: “We believe in pushing the boundaries. Castrol’s pursuit of leadership is driven by several key factors that set us apart. Innovation combined with continuous learning allows us to stay ahead in a rapidly changing market.”
Something by way of explanation of Castrol’s strategic ‘Forward’ pillar comes from Jou: “Castrol is charting a course for the future. Our ‘Onward, Upward, Forward’ strategy embodies our dedication to accelerating our customers’ progress, helping them to face the challenges of tomorrow.
“We aim to grow our core business in new ways, using our cutting-edge technology and our trusted global brand to stay at the forefront of our sector. We’re developing more circular offerings to help customers achieve their sustainability goals and exploring exciting new growth opportunities beyond lubricants.”FleetWatch extends its congratulations to Castrol on reaching its incredible 125-years milestone. It will be interesting to see what they come up with in terms of “new growth opportunities beyond lubricants”.
