Rescuing Shell -Vivo energy kenya

 

''Don't waste a good crisis'', is what the great entrepreneur and business coach Jim Rohn once said. The recent shell expose on social media in Kenya on the quality of Oil, has caused a hullaballoo on the interwebs and has seen the brand receive bad publicity due to bad product reviews on quality of the V-power product line, which consumers expected it to be the highest performance engine Oil. Many consumers and loyalists of the brand have been taken aback by the seemingly not up to par product as marketed and advertised, which we will leave the interwebs and men in lab coats to debate, but what has emerged is that the perception, brand prominence of shell has taken a beating. V power was/is seen and perceived as a product that is of higher quality and marketed for performance, and this product line was/is a differentiator that helped the brand distinguish itself from the competition as no other brand in Kenya offers this product line.

Fuel in Kenya and globally is a product that doesn't have differentiation, and brand loyalty is guided by how consumers perceive the brands selling it, which is shaped by the Oil marketers selling the product. In Kenya, shell holds the highest number of stations being 315 as of 2023 and is one of the oldest oil marketing brands in the region with reported sales of 1,342 Total volume in (million liters). This has enabled it to maintain market dominance, especially in it's core market of Nairobi. Heading back to the issue at hand on handling crisis, many Kenyan brands deal with crisis by going the PR way, hiring media, influencers and sticking to the political playbook script of deny or blame it on others. The Kenyan consumer are very enlightened folk and have seen this strategy play out many a times, in front of them -corporate wise and politically.

So what should Shell do to win it's influence back, reduce churn from it's loyal supporters and make this crisis a point to cement it's climb to the top. The Kenyan market is very educated & informed in terms of their purchase decisions, what influences their affiliation, spending, with social media being a fireplace where marketplace dominance is won and lost in todays age and time. If I was the lead at Shell, under Vivo Energy Kenya, here would be my key approaches to tackling the crisis at hand.

Recall the product line under V-power in affected region for a short period ( a week ) and communicate this to the market by assuring quality tests and controls. Acknowledge the challenge to the consumer, accepting the pain point, plus communicate this to the consumer and show how Vivo Energy Kenya is working to solve this. The brand also needs to go above and beyond with third-party verification engaging independent laboratories, beyond Kenya to test and certify the quality of V-Power and portray this with the media. Afterwards I would bring the product back after making sure it has the highest performance rating in the market and engage Tanuki - who broke the story to be an independent tester of the V-power product line apart from third party testing.

Apart from having the normal Kenyan PR strategy, the brand now needs to engage the car community, true car influencers and the public who shape the narrative of the Kenyan car community to seek goodwill from their stories to generate organic content with the brand. I would engage Tanuki and believable Kenyan car influencers who are deep in the heart of car conversations in car communities to be brand ambassadors of the product line.

Tanuki racing his GTR at Sunset Corsa

The long-term strategy should focus in shaping the organic narrative and perception of the brand which will take time. As of yesterday, this strategy was to water down the damaging video by the brand hiring online influencers that don't shape the communicae of the car scene in Kenya. Kenyans were expecting this from them and are immune to as this from the playbook that the political class uses:

The executives behind the PR and press releases need to understand that the Kenyan car community goes beyond what you see on twitter and in the interwebs. Tanuki himself who did the expose is an avid racer and has been engaged in the car scene for quite some time, with his Nissan GT-R and his engagement in the Kenyan car scene is interconnected beyond the interwebs with his story and passion for cars. It is in his best interest to get the best performance engine oil for performance of his vehicle. The brand Shell, needs to tell its story better that relates to the consumer, with a better story around it's product plus engagement with the car community beyond a corporate lens. A product or a service without a story that resonates with the consumer is just a commodity, which is easily replicable without brand differentiation, which doesn't buy loyalty.

Secondly, I would leverage the brand to go to the ground and engage the public and community through yearly events beyond using keyboard warriors, PR & marketing dollars. Despite Vivo Energy Kenya being one of the biggest brands in Kenya, the brand lacks a physical engagement presence with the Kenyan car community, as it commoditizes it's engagement on Billboards, radio and tv ads. This has contributed to the V-power brand lacking true engagement with raving loyalists.

I would lead the brand in sponsoring and promoting of car events to engage the Kenyan car community and make Shell synonymous with anything cars in the country. For example TotalEnergies Kenya used to sponsor the Total Kenya Motor Show that was last held in 2017, that helped solidify it's presence with the Kenyan car scene, but recently pivoted it's sponsorship to football events. I would re-engage the market by hosting this yearly event under the Shell Motorshow- an event in Nairobi & Mombasa bringing car brands, manufacturers and the Kenyan market together in one massive event and position Shell as a brand that embodies cars plus gather consumer goodwill.

In addition, I would sponsor engage the car scene through the Kenyan car & racing events calendar such as Sunset Corsa, Masinga TT, Safari Rally, TukTuk Rally, Tuner Motorshow, Masaku TT, Motorkhana and more where V-power will be re-introduced to the car community. In these events, I would conduct onsite testing with consumers plus activations and educate the consumer of the potential benefits of VPower. This would also coincide, with my initiative to also sponsor Tanuki plus other car racing enthusiats as ambassadors for Vivo energy Kenya and the racing events they are involved in.

In addition I would engage the online car communities such as uber owners Kenya, BMW owners kenya, Mercedes owners club kenya, Mazda owners club kenya, Mark x owners club, landrover club kenya, Forester Nation and more car clubs. These engagement will focus on V-Power Performance Days with these car meets, car runs & csr activities anchored around shell petrol stations, featuring test drives, performance workshops, and expert talks on fuel efficiency and engine care. The events would also be used to gather feedback, address concerns, and build a loyal community of brand advocates, to drive the long term narrative positively for the Shell brand.

In addition Afterwards, I would plan to organize a "Vivo Energy Roadshow", visiting major cities and towns to engage directly with the public targeting on ground activities such as vehicle check-ups (e.g., tire pressure, oil levels) plus giveaways.

Thirdly I would introduce innovation as a strategy to empower the brand achieve it's market share position with digital transformation: Apart from existing innovations Vivo Energy Kenya has introduced, I would empower the brand to introduce Vehicle Counting Analytics for Prediction & Tracking Conversion to measure success of the PR campaigns and marketing campaigns and understand each consumer segment per region and station.

kenyan automotive demographics

Vehicle counting analytics can help Vivo Energy Kenya optimize its operations, improve customer targeting, and enhance conversion rates by Installing IoT Sensors at fuel stations to count and analyze vehicle traffic that will for example categorize vehicles (e.g., personal cars, trucks, motorcycles) to understand customer segments. Measure consumer demographics at shell convenience stores. This will help the brand allocate effective marketing dollars per store location and region focusing on the right segments, sending real-time promotions to drivers based on their vehicle type and fueling history. https://ecomm.sosnetworks.co.ke/wp/wheretobuy-people-counting-in-kenya-tanzania-uganda-rwanda-congo-sudan-south-sudan-ethiopiakenya-tanzania-uganda-rwanda-congo-sudan-south-sudan-ethiopiawheretobuy-people-counting-in-keny/

In addition predictive analytics will help Vivo Energy in demand forecasting using store historical traffic data to predict fuel demand and optimize inventory management in real time. With Conversion tracking through iot devices, vivo energy can identify customer journeys to measure gaps in conversion from traffic patterns in addition to monitoring how many vehicles convert into paying customers. The iot devices will delve into who to target per station -i.e more trucks instead of sedans et al & come up with an accurate targeted campaign focusing on the right consumer profile.

In line with digital transformation I would also introduce a Virtual subscription card for consumers to reduce churn by offering convenience and value to customers. The subscription plan would offer monthly or annual plans with benefits like discounted fuel prices, free checks, or priority service which Vivo energy customers access via their website or mobile app : https://ecomm.sosnetworks.co.ke/wp/software-management-subscription-platform-for-your-business-in-africa/

Lastly I would introduce a brand perception study to measure Shell's perception, including V-power's positioning with the market through a nationwide surveys to identify areas for improvement, respond to market dynamics, ensuring the brand remains relevant and trusted. As of December 2013, when we conducted our last consumer perception study, the Shell brand was voted in 3rd at 16.9% behind Rubis which was at 19.4 % and Total Energies which was voted the best oil marketer at 43.8%

The recent crisis surrounding Vivo Energy Kenya’s V-Power product is a wake-up call for the brand to reassert its market dominance and rebuild trust with its customers. By taking immediate, transparent actions, engaging the car community, and innovating for the future, Shell can turn this setback into a powerful opportunity for growth.

The Kenyan market is educated, informed, and highly influenced by social media. Vivo Energy Kenya must leverage these dynamics to control the narrative over time, win back loyal customers, and position itself as a leader in quality, innovation, and customer-centricity. As the saying goes, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” This crisis is Shell’s chance to prove its resilience and emerge stronger than ever.

Feel free to engage me more at info@sosnetworks.co.ke