Valvoline is stepping onto the red carpet alongside Paramount Pictures’ favorite talking robots as the official synthetic motor oil of the Transformers: the Last Knight movie, in theaters later this month.
Joining a growing trend of paid product placements on the silver screen, Valvoline entered a sponsorship agreement, though Valvoline did not detail the exposure the company will get from the agreement or disclose any financial details. The agreement has an international reach, but is focused on the U.S. motor oil market.
Valvoline chose to distinguish itself as the Transformers movies official synthetic motor oil both to highlight its full synthetic product line, and because it is not the films only motor oil partner internationally. The company is, however, the exclusive motor oil partner in the U.S and several other regions.
Valvoline said the partnership is one of the largest marketing campaigns in the companys history. It includes a sweepstakes offering two tickets and a trip to the movies official premier open to some participating locations, and the opportunity to receive a Valvotron action figure. The Transformers action movies are based on toys by American toymaker Hasbro and Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy.
Photo courtesy of Valvoline
Valvotron – jointly designed by Valvoline, Paramount and Hasbro – is available through July 26. To add this new hero to their Transformers action figure collection, individuals must either purchase five quarts of Valvolines full synthetic motor oil and uploads their receipts online or have a full synthetic oil change done at a participating U.S. service center.
This program spans across all three of Valvolines operating segments including Core North America (the U.S.), which includes Do-It-Yourself retail locations and Installer Partners, Valvoline Instant Oil Change and International, said Jamal Muashsher, Valvolines vice president of marketing.
The Transformers Five and Valvoline partnership will extend to more than 30 countries and 60,000 retail locations, said Muashsher. The reach of this activation globally supported by a holistic media plan should provide a significant reach of this program to consumers around the world.
Larry Solomon, president of consulting firm Strategic Resources Inc. and former Manager of Consumer Research at Valvoline, believes this partnership may be an effort to engage with a younger generation that does not tend to change their own oil. The company may see this movie as an opportunity to make it cool to work on your own car and change your oil with Valvolines products.
Though this is the companys first Hollywood partnership, Valvoline has leveraged similar strategic partnerships before, including partnerships with Hendrick Motorsports and Manchester City Football.