Shell’s new petrol products come with a new formulation with next-generation deposit targeting technology, which removes harmful deposits, protects engine condition, and lasts up to 15 km longer per full tank in 2 and 4-wheelers. “While ‘More’ has always been our brand promise, this campaign builds upon our ‘More than Just a
Fuel Station’ campaign, which talked about how Shell stations are delivering much more than fuels,” says Kartiki Karihaloo, Marketing Manager, Shell Mobility – India.
In an exclusive interaction with Storyboard18, Kartiki Karihaloo, Marketing Manager, Shell Mobility – India talks about Shell’s latest campaign, growth outlook, latest marketing initiatives and expansion plans across India.
Edited excerpts:
What is the development process and rationale behind the “Expect more from Shell fuels campaign, and what are Shell’s growth outlook and latest marketing initiatives for India?
Our mission is to innovate and continuously deliver superior quality offerings to our customers. We keep upgrading our fuel portfolio regularly to meet evolving customer needs, be they in terms of technology or value. The latest petrol portfolio upgrade is about delivering more – value or engine health. Our campaign, Expect more from Shell Fuels is based on extensive consumer research to understand consumer perceptions and expectations of the category and the brand. Today’s consumers have a growing desire for products and services that are reliable
but, at the same time, exceed their expectations. Our new petrol products come with a new formulation with next-generation deposit targeting technology, which removes harmful deposits, protects engine condition, and lasts up to 15 km longer per full tank in 2 and 4-wheelers. While ‘More’ has always been our brand promise, this campaign builds upon our ‘More than Just a Fuel Station’ campaign, which talked about how Shell stations are delivering much more than fuels.
Can you provide insights into Shell’s expansion plans across India, including tier 1 and tier 2 cities, and how they align with the company's marketing strategy?
We currently have a presence across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, and Pondicherry. Our aim is to establish a strong and sustainable presence in India’s rapidly evolving mobility market over the next few years by introducing products and services that respond to India’s highly diverse market landscape. We will continue to prioritise world-class brand standards, customer experience, and value-driven propositions in tier-2 cities, as we have in tier-1 cities. Our debut TV commercial for Shell Fuels, “Expect more from Shell Fuels caters to the sentiments of our current customers across various parts of the country – but as we expand, we will keep continuing our customer focus and probe different need gaps to deliver relevant campaigns that resonate with customers.
What are Shell’s marketing strategies for FY 2024?
Our marketing approach for 2024 focuses primarily on two elements – elevated product and elevated service delivery, with a strong emphasis on customer-centricity and innovation. Placing the customer at the heart of our efforts, we leverage insights to craft relevant CVPs, deliver engaging, interactive content across platforms and ensure a seamless offline-to-online journey. Our aim is to redefine the Shell experience, setting new standards in the industry and inspiring positive change in the communities we touch. We will continue to strengthen our core purpose
of ‘Powering Lives’ through various initiatives that empower the local communities and continue to bring forth inspiring positive stories from our forecourts.
How is Shell leveraging digital, social media, community engagement, and consumer behaviours to create varied marketing strategies?
In today’s digital world, a brands online presence must align with consumer habits and preferences. To achieve this, Shell uses digital platforms, social media, ORM, and consumer behaviours to tailor segmented marketing strategies across channels. Our loyalty app, Shell Asia, has a vast reach. We observe user behaviour on the app to customize our offers and create sub-segments. When using advertising, we carefully choose platforms to communicate
with and select audiences based on their habits and needs. We recognize the importance of educating consumers on the benefits of our superior fuels, so we use our owned platforms to provide in-depth insights into our products, technology, and corporate initiatives.
Our social media channels serve as a permanent repository of information, allowing us to deliver relevant content and educate our audience. For example, we use social media to promote our initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), such as the ‘Silent Shift’ initiative. Our commitment to DE&I is not a fleeting campaign; it is ingrained in our purpose.
These interactive platforms enable us to connect with our customers in a prompt and interactive manner, building strong relationships with them while deploying customized marketing tactics for various sub-segments.
Can you share details about Shell’s market share, specifying where the business is coming from the most, including numbers, demographics, and regions?
Shell currently has a retail presence in seven states and one union territory in India. Our business is evenly distributed across the western and southern regions of the country. India is a market where people own multiple vehicles in the B2C segment, with a significantly higher share of 2-wheelers in larger cities. We focus on markets where vehicle ownership and driver headcount are naturally dispersed across the west and south regions of India. We adapt our stations and services, including food and beverages on the go and quick oil changes on our forecourts, according to the vehicle patterns we observe in the local market.
Additionally, we have recently expanded our services to include EV recharging solutions, as we have noted the increasing demand from consumers for reliable charging options for their 2-wheelers.
What industry trends and consumer insights are Shell currently leveraging in its marketing approach?
As part of our mobility business, we prioritize initiatives to enhance customer experience at our retail stations. We leverage insights and behaviours to tailor services and offerings that cater to their needs. We recognize the growing preference for premium products and convenience, even within the automotive sector. Thus, we view our stations as on-the-go decompression spots instead of just fuel stations. This enables us to have a more integrated and holistic view of the mobility landscape and customer needs. We keep evolving our offerings based on the need-
gaps of various customer segments, aiming to be the most preferred destination for all on-the-
go needs.
As we diversify our fuel portfolio, both in the form of liquid fuels and electrons, we keep a keen eye on how customers are changing their fueling habits. Some customers prioritize value and accessibility, while others focus on getting the best out of their vehicles. To cater to both, we have come up with a targeted approach. For our main grade/regular fuel users, we focus on delivering more economy and better engine life. Meanwhile, for quality-conscious consumers, we offer our best-performance fuel that gives 100% cleaning of critical engine parts. All our petrol products come with a proprietary formulation that delivers up to 15 km of extra mileage per full tank in both 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers.