Petron Corporation was the Gold winner in the Best Event-Led PR Campaign category at the sixth annual Southeast Asian edition of the PR Awards, which was held at Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore.
The win is for the Petron TriAction Performance Run Regional Roadblock, which highlighted the value of having integrated, real-time media and social media PR coverage to magnify Petron’s performance run in the Philippines’ southern provinces. With the majority of campaigns focused in Metro Manila and Luzon, the regional roadblock was an game-changer as local TV, radio and social influencers provided real-time updates and excited audiences as the performance run made its way from Mindanao, across the Visayas, and back to Luzon. A first in this category, the campaign addressed the brand challenge of creating relevance, engagement, and gaining market share in target provinces.
The Petron TriAction Performance Run (Mindanao to Manila Edition) was held last May 2018 with a caravan of eight vehicles which took off from Davao City and traversed key cities including Malaybalay, Bukidnon; Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental; Iligan City, Lanao del Norte; Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental; and Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao. Crossing over to the Visayas Islands, the run proceeded to Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; Cebu City, Cebu; Toledo City, Cebu; Cadiz City, Negros Occidental; Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Iloilo City, Iloilo; Kalibo City, Aklan; and Malay, Aklan. From there, the caravan traveled through Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro and Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro to catch a ferry to the port in Batangas City for its homecoming to Manila. In all the major stops, local media and influencers joined the group, acting as guides and highlighting the attractions in their localities. At the same time, they were able to interview the drivers about the performance of Petron Diesel Max in all types of road conditions.
Under the direction of Petron’s Brand Marketing & Advertising Department, the award-winning regional media roadblock was arranged by media agency HuddleRoom. The actual run was organized by Great Minds Media Inc., with official observers from the Department of Energy and the Automobile Association of the Philippines. The Department of Tourism also provided support in key cities.
The “Best Event-Led PR Campaign” category is one of the most coveted, with the highest number of entries. In the final judging, Petron was pitted against leading brands such as Heineken Malaysia, UnionPay South East Asia, Dyson, Singapore International Cyber Week 2018, Fujifilm, Singapore Discovery Center, and Vivo City & Walt Disney Company SEA. The champions for 2019 were chosen by an independent judging panel comprised of high-caliber senior marketing, public relations and communications professionals from reputable brands.
Earlier this year, the Petron TriAction Performance Run (Turbo Diesel Edition) also earned a Silver Anvil for “Pubic Relations Program Directed at Specific Stakeholders – Consumers” in the 54th Anvil Awards organized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.