The Motorsports Double: 400,000 live fans, 1100 miles of iconic racing, 9 guests, 2 races, a private plane and 1 epic day 

For many years, select talented professional race car drivers have done The Double racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in one day. SD presented The Motorsports Double as an activation program that media and VIPs could also experience. This program grants a handful of very special guests an introduction to two of the most iconic races in the world in one exclusive day, and is made possible by leveraging Shell motorsports sponsorship properties. The Double proves to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for invited guests.

On Memorial Day weekend of 2017, it all started in Indianapolis for the famed 101st Running of the Indy 500. On Thursday, we welcomed guests into Indianapolis with an exclusive media lunch at the Speedway. Later that night, we enjoyed the Hall of Fame dinner featuring some of the most legendary figures in motorsports, including Roger Penske. As the historic IndyCar exhibition kicked off on Friday, we hosted guests as they were thrilled with pace car laps around the 2.5 mile track at 100 miles per hour to give a hands-on sense of the scale of what the Indianapolis Motor Speedway represents. 

Throughout the entire weekend, guests and media were exposed to the numerous connections to Shell's Fuel Rewards program as we celebrated and promoted Fuel Rewards Instant Gold Status upcoming launch. Leveraging primary sponsorships in both IndyCar and NASCAR, we introduced striking gold paint schemes and fire suits to drive awareness for the program. We saw plenty of fun and messaging on social media as well with all things #goldstatus. There even was a rare selfie with Helio and Roger that gained over 1,200 engagements on Instagram!  

As the checkered flag dropped in Indy, our guests took a police escort out of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and headed straight for their private plane waiting for their arrival. After a quick photo together, they were on their way to Charlotte where a private car service was waiting for them on the tarmac. Just in time to experience the start of the Coca-Cola 600, we brought guests to watch the race from the top of Joey Logano's pit box, a seat that you can't buy with a ticket. We call it the Best Seat in the House, and for good reason! Tier 1 media and influencers also got to spectate from the roof of Charlotte Motor Speedway, another vantage point only accessed through our business partnership. 

This special weekend was the perfect combination of platforms for Shell to tell the Instant Gold Status story and how valuable loyalty can be through Fuel Rewards. No one knows more than our Indiana-local superuser, Heather Gilb, who got to ride the beautiful #3 Shell Fuel Rewards IndyCar float in the IPL 500 Festival Parade Saturday afternoon. She was joined by Shell President of North American Fuels, Sydney Kimball, to further celebrate the story. Click through for a look into how the weekend produced remarkable experiences and results thanks to Shell and the Fuel Rewards activations.

Tier 1 Media

SD secured and hosted prominent tier 1 media outlets from inside and outside the motorsports industry for The Double. With diverse and wide-reaching audiences, the Shell Fuel Rewards story was told organically through various mediums.

Click the outlets below to read their unique coverage of the weekend 

TheCHIVE showed over 1,400,000 viewers on Instagram what #goldstatus feels like with Shell Fuel Rewards

Network of Champions Influencers

Through collaboration with Edelman (click here for full Edelman report), Todd McCandless and Rob Eckhaus from the Network of Champions joined us for The Double. They produced 130 combined social posts across multiple digital channels generating over 451,000 impressions. Rob and Todd captured and shared content through each activity, from exclusive pace car rides in Indianapolis to watching the race from Joey Logano's pitbox in Charlotte. See below for real-time posts, and click through their profiles to see each social following.

Thursday's Media Luncheon

On the Thursday leading up the Indy 500, we hosted 94 media members and 125 total guests for a special event and luncheon. Dan Little, GM North American Fuels Marketing, started us off by sharing all about the significance behind the gold livery found on Helio and Joey's cars. That led him to sharing more information about the Fuel Rewards program, the benefits of Instant Gold Status and more. He also provided each member with their own Fuel Rewards card and gold accessories to get started. 

The rich collection of media including members from ESPN, ABC, Autoweek and more were treated to the induction of two more members into the Team Penske Hall of Fame. All of this over the delicious food prepared by Team Penske on gold tables, the same food that fuels the drivers and crew throughout race weekend. It was a unique experience to provide for influential professionals as we kicked off the weekend.

A Dinner Among Motorsports Legends

Through Shell's partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, we were invited to the very special IMS Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony where 780 influential industry personnel attended. Shell also received a title speaking spot to address the attendees. Mr. Dan Little led us through a wonderful talk about the history of Shell's involvement in motorsports and storied innovation, from track to road. He also shared the significance of the gold color on Helio's car for the Indy 500.

Facebook Live proved to be popular throughout the weekend

In collaboration with Iris Worldwide (click here for full Iris report), we hosted Shell Retail's first-ever Facebook Live ahead of the Indy 500. The 10-minute long Live video featured Helio Castroneves sharing all the benefits and excitement around Instant Gold Status with Fuel Rewards. He followed that up with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tech talk and tour of his #3 Shell Fuel Rewards Chevrolet. This post drew nearly 600,000 views and 9,000 engagements. Continuing the theme of Facebook Live, ESPN's Marty Smith visited with Helio to share the Fuel Rewards message with a further 10,000 viewers across Facebook.

Across platforms, fans and customers took note of Helio and Joey's gold paint schemes drawing organic interest to Fuel Rewards

Helio and Joey certainly had some fun with their #goldstatus!

Sharing Instant Gold Status with a combined 1,000,000 fans and followers across Instagram and Twitter throughout the weekend. 

Integrating Multiple Sponsorship Assets to Promote Awareness of Fuel Rewards

While the stars of the weekend were the activities taking place at Indianapolis and Charlotte Motor Speedway with the marquee races, we further activated the weekend with engaging programs for fans and customers away from the track as well. To promote the Instant Gold Status launch of Shell Fuel Rewards with a family and community based audience, we headed to the 61st running of the IPL 500 Festival Parade on Saturday May 26, 2017. More than 250,000 spectators lined the streets of downtown Indianapolis, along with over 1,000,000 viewers for the live broadcast, to see a celebration that shares status with the famed Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Who better to embody the value of Fuel Rewards than Indiana local superuser, Heather Gilb. She has saved over $1,000 with Shell Fuel Rewards.

Copyright of Shell International. Metric support from Iris Worldwide and Edelman. Social videos produced by Iris Worldwide and TheCHIVE. Site produced by Sport Dimensions.