Page 25 - Fuels & Lubes International 2013 - Q1

Oil recognized that,” there are lots of opportuni-
ties and benefits for companies who build real
brands.” The company also wanted to, “continue
the success of a strong company behind the
brand and high quality products.”
Claessens noted that the average car shop
has at least 10 different brands, with numerous
other products. According to the brand man-
ager, none of these products are created with
the customer in mind, none of them speak to
the individual, and consequently, none of them
stand out. except for wolf’s and Champion’s
products, that is.
wolf currently has five different product
lines and Champion has seven. each of these
lines is designed specifically with the customer
in mind, and each product clearly conveys both
the quality and uses available to the customer.
For example, each of wolf’s products end
in “teCh” because that line focuses on the
technological aspects of its lubricants. The other
half of the product name is just as self-evident;
guArdteCh is designed to protect the engine
from dirt and contaminants, eCOteCh is of
course more fuel efficient, a key quality during
tough economic times, while also allowing for
lower emissions.
The Champion line follows a similar logic
with products like the retro-Formula, which is
designed specifically for vintage cars. Another
critical aspect of these two lines is the ability to
convey not just the value of the product, but the
quality. Claessens noted that one of the main
draws of the products is that they are not only
OeM-specific, but OeM-approved. getting this
message across to the consumer is a large part of
what sets wolf and Champion apart from their
competitors.
Although a very untraditional move for the
lubricant industry, lifestyle branding is common
in many different product campaigns, and is
particularly apparent with energy drinks. Claes-
sens said that wolf and Champion oils drew
inspiration from the energy drinks’ marketing
campaigns, and their labels in particular, which
according to Claessens are great at conveying
the product’s value as part of a specific lifestyle.
A prime example of this can be seen in
the term trademarked by wolf Oil, “emissions
System protection (eSp).” This term refers to
an after-treatment process, which wolf lists on
the label to inform customers of the quality pro-
vided by this line. This approach closely mirrors
that of energy drink makers like red bull, which
uses non-traditional marketing to concisely
convey the value of their products.
Lessons from energy drinks
A quick look at the approach taken by the
two energy drink giants reveals a great deal
about lifestyle branding. what is it about the
company that allows their products to stand out
from the dozens of essentially identical competi-
tors?
Strong brand identity of course helps to al-
leviate the potential for buyer’s regret—if you are
paying a premium for a specific product, then it
is important that you feel justified in doing so.
kelly O’keefe, CeO of brand-consulting firm
emergence says that, “right now there’s an abil-
ity to get a toehold more quickly if you can build
loyalty with a niche of the market.”
A poignant example of how this lifestyle
branding comes into play is red bull’s sponsor-
ship of the skydiver Felix baumgartner, who
外，Wolf Oil还认识到，“努力塑造品牌的公司有许多
机会和好处。”公司还试图“继续在强大的公司品牌
和产品质量背后所取得的成功。”
Claessens说，一家汽车商店平均有十个品牌，
无数的商品。对品牌经理来说，这些产品无一是以客
户为核心开发的，无一针对个别的客户来表达诉求，
因此，这些产品无一突显在客户面前，而只有Wolf和
Champion的产品是例外。
Wolf 目前有五个产品线，Champion有七个。
每个产品线都针对具体的客户进行设计，每一种产
品都清晰地向客户传递其质量和可用性。例如，每
种以Wolf 的产品都在“TECH”结尾，因为这些产品
线强调了润滑剂的技术性。另一半的产品名称也名
符其实；GUARDTECH针对发动机防尘和杂质而设
计，ECOTECH则当然是更高的燃油经济性，这是经
济不景气时代所关注的重要性质，同时也带来了低排
放。
Champion产品线也采用了类似的逻辑，如
Retro-Formula专为老式车而设计。这两个产品线的
另一个主要特点是不仅能传递产品的价值，还能强调
查产品质量。Claessens说，这些产品的主要引人之
处是不仅针对原厂设计，还获得了原厂的认证。向消
费者传递这些信息使Wolf和Champion与其竞争对
手的最大差异。
以生活方式作为品牌营销的侧重虽不是润滑油
行业的传统，但在其他众多的产品宣传中早已广泛应
用，特别是能量饮料类产品。Claessens说Wolf和
Champion油品从能量饮料的市场宣传活动中获得
了很大的启发，特别是其标签，按Claessens的说法，
这些标签是传递产品在生活方式方面的价值的极佳
工具。
这其中的典型例子就是被Wolf Oil注册为注册
商标的术语“Emissions SystemProtection (ESP)”
（排放系统保护，ESP）。从字面上就可以看出这是一
个用于尾气处理的术语，Wolf将其标注在标签上，告
诉了客户这一产品所提供的质量。这种方法照搬了类
似红牛这样的能量饮料的做法，采用非传统的营销方
式精确地传递其产品的价值。
来自能量饮料的经验
简单地看一下两大能量饮料巨头的做法就可以
发现这都是生活方式的品牌营销。如何使公司的产品
在众多的竞争对手类似的产品中脱颖而出？
强大的品牌识别当然有助于消除购买者的后悔
可能——如果你为特别的产品支付了溢价，那就应该
“Although a very
untraditional move for
the lubricant industry,
lifestyle branding is
common inmany different
product campaigns, and is
particularly apparent with
energy drinks. ”
25 FUELS & LUBES INTERNATIONAL Quarter One 2013