TAIPEI: Former monopoly China Petroleum Corporation is bankrolling a
NT$15 million (US$434,000) advertising campaign alongside
a co-branded card promotion to inspire loyalty at the gas pump.
China Petroleum has also teamed up with Chinatrust to issue a co-branded
credit card, as its rival Formosa Plastics did earlier in partnership
with Taishin Bank.
However, China Petroleum said its card allows customers to cut waiting
time at stations as transactions are processed with the aid of a
wireless device.
China Petroleum's 30-second TVC shows a barefoot runner with an Olympian
physique moving across a desert landscape. Later cuts show him running
by familiar scenes in downtown Taipei, including a Chinatrust bank, the
presidential palace and finally arriving at a China Petroleum
station.
At the station, a robotic orifice opens in the runner's bicep and he
fills up with gasoline, while the voiceover adds: "The inexhaustible
power of Taiwan."
Created by United Advertising, the campaign is supported by print,
posters and internet advertising.
During the pre-launch stage, Chinatrust generated publicity with a
contest hosted on Yahoo/Kimo. The Chinatrust challenge required
participants to collect receipts from 100 different China Petroleum
stations. To kick off the competition, two drivers set out in opposite
directions from Taiching and completed the challenge in two-and-a-half
days. The promotion also includes the usual line-up of gifts and
discounts.
Oscar Wang, United Advertising's division head, said the card promotion
was bringing in 10,000 applications a day. "That's better than we
expected. Actually it's huge. We're talking 220,000 applications a month
if it continues."
The Government-owned China Petroleum has 1,700 gas stations around the
island. Its monopolistic hold on the market ended last year when Formosa
Plastics launched gas retailing operations. Formosa has 400 gas stations
and an additional 100 franchisee contracts signed.
