In early 2022, Minio Studio, a strategic creative agency, won the pitch organized by SOCAR with a 360 approach to launch a new communication platform: SOCAR – Motorul Proiectelor Tale. This was the beginning of a collaboration that aimed to reposition the petrol station chain on the Romanian market through a series of projects that would convey the brand’s message both online and offline.

“We are congratulating the Minio team for the strategic and integrated vision of the proposed concepts. We started this process of selecting a creative agency with clearly defined objectives for the future positioning and communication of the SOCAR brand. There were other good proposals received in the pitch that responded to the brief, making the selection process difficult, but Minio, the selected agency, convinced us through its creative brand positioning proposal and communication platform that it is capable of supporting SOCAR’s efforts to achieve its ambitious goals by demonstrating a well-articulated brand and communication strategy,” said Ramin Aliyev, SOCAR Chief Operating Officer.

SOCAR brand campaign – Îți facem plinul cu bucuria de a-ți pune planurile pe roate

The SOCAR brand campaign – ”Îți facem plinul cu bucuria de a-ți pune planurile pe roate”, which included a promotional component, was aimed at enterprising people who are always on the go and for whom the car is the main means they need to carry out their plans. For them, SOCAR aimed to become a place where they can find quality fuel and premium car products, but also a place where they can take a break from refuelling and have a quiet coffee on a well-deserved break.

The campaign covered all media: from radio, TV, OOH to digital and influencers. The TV spot, which also ran on digital, aimed to illustrate moments in the lives of busy people for whom SOCAR is the place that fuels them with the energy to put their plans into action.

The promotional component was communicated separately on TV and digital, but also through an influencer marketing campaign with Anca Serea, Paul Mateș, Mădălina Merca & Alexandru Don and Alin Ionescu (Mașinistul), representing the SOCAR customer typologies identified in the development of the brand strategy.

SOCAR Summer Campaign – Îți facem plinul cu dor de ducă!

During the summer, the promotional campaign ”Îți facem plinul cu dor de ducă”, was run, whereby campaign participants were entered into a race for two trailer trips. The campaign was communicated through a TV and digital spot and amplified by a collaboration with Mariciu and his family, trailer holiday enthusiasts, who shared the trip experience for a week through photo and video content on their Social Media channels.

Promotions at SOCAR stations

Minio Studio also communicated one-off loyalty, promotional campaigns or station openings. These include the Happy Days campaigns at various stations in the country, offering a 5% discount on fuel on certain days; the opening of new stations in the country, such as SOCAR Mioveni and SOCAR Sibiu; the “Drumuri de 10” campaign with the aim of loyalty, dedicated to Tunari, Chiajna and Jilava stations, offering 10 litres of fuel free for every 5 fill-ups of at least 30 litres.

Brand Communication in Social Media

Since April this year, Minio Studio has taken over the strategy, creative and community management for SOCAR’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, approaching a digital communication strategy in line with the new brand message. In October, SOCAR also entered the ZeList top of the most visible petrol & petrochemical brands online.

“We are very happy about the collaboration with SOCAR, the opportunity to position the brand in Romania and the campaigns we have implemented together on the new platform – Motorul Proiectelor Tale. We team up beautifully with the client and have the freedom to highlight our strategic and creative expertise across multiple areas – from digital, social media, TVCs to activations”, says Ioana Mucenic, CEO Minio Studio.

About SOCAR

SOCAR entered the Romanian market through its subsidiary SOCAR Petroleum S.A. in 2011, and went on to develop a solid network of gas stations nationwide, currently reaching a total of 68 stations. It has thus become one of the major players in the Romanian fuel distribution market.

SOCAR offers an extensive range of products and services in the field of fuel, lubricants, petrochemicals and bitumen trading, becoming one of the major players in the fuel distribution and petroleum products trading market in Romania.

About MINIO STUDIO

Minio Studio is a strategic creative agency. Launched in 2016 by Ioana Mucenic and Paul Cotor, the agency now has a team of 21 professionals, complemented by a large ecosystem of collaborators with specific expertise. In 2020, Minio Studio was the most awarded local independent agency. In just three years, the agency has amassed over 20 awards and another 24 nominations in communications festivals. As a point of differentiation, Minio Studio is also the only agency in the region with its own integrated biometric analysis lab, which allows the agency to evaluate its creative from a consumer perspective.

The two teams

MINIO STUDIO:

Teodora Mihale – Account Manager

Andreea Flori – Account Executive

Vlad Boerașu – Creative Strategist

Mihai Bălan – Senior Art Director

Andrei Sandu – Graphic Designer

Ionuț Dumitrache – DTP

Marius Marin – Reputation Manager

Luna Ilaria Nica – Copywriter

Cristiana Pană – Head of Strategy

Ioana Mucenic – CEO

SOCAR ROMANIA:

Cristina Costăchescu – Marketing & Sales Retail Manger

Giorgiana Vișan – Marketing Communications Specialist