Hansi Hinterseer is the new brand ambassador for Vitatherm
September 28, 2010 - 10:00 am (CET)
- Successful entertainer promotes Austria’s most popular heating oil
- Hinterseer: “Vitatherm is clean, environmentally friendly and modern“
- Campaign to start in October
Heating Innovations Austria GmbH (HINNOVA) has selected Hansi Hinterseer as the exclusive advertising partner for Vitatherm with effect from the upcoming autumn campaign until 2013. “We are convinced that we have found the ideal brand ambassador for Austria’s most popular heating oil and look forward to a long-term cooperation,” said managing directors Oliver Eisenhöld, OMV, and Ernst Kikinger, BP. The new autumn campaign with Hansi Hinterseer begins in October.
Hinterseer believes that Vitatherm is something really special. “It is an Austrian product, it has a good name, and I believe it offers many advantages for heating oil customers. It is clean, environmentally friendly and modern. This corresponds with my views and means I am able to support Vitatherm.”
Hansi Hinterseer has set new standards as an entertainer: he has sold more than five million albums and is one of the top show-business acts in Austria and Germany. However, Hinterseer is selective about which brands he promotes: “I receive constant requests to advertise products, but I am very selective and extremely critical about which products I decide to promote.”
Vitatherm: environmentally friendly, cost effective and convenient
Vitatherm was developed by Hinnova Heating Innovations Austria GmbH – a joint venture of OMV and BP – and has been available in Austria for two years now. It was the first sulphur-free heating oil in Austria and is now also the most popular in the country with more than 26% market share.
“Vitatherm stands for eco-friendliness, cost-effective heating and comfort,” said Anton Kieberger, Marketing Director of Heating Innovations Austria GmbH. “We want to convey these core messages with the most impact.” The company therefore decided to ask Hinterseer to be the brand ambassador: “He is known to 90% of all Austrians and to 92% of all heating oil consumers. Hinterseer is seen as humorous, credible, in touch with nature, trustworthy, down to earth, serious and environmentally aware. Hinterseer also embodies a sense of tradition that is very important for our image.”
Humorous interpretation of the “heating with oil” theme
It was important to both HINNOVA and Hinterseer that the topic of heating with oil was given a humorous interpretation. “We left nothing to chance and sought cooperation with leading agencies and film studios,” stressed Kieberger. This is because the new testimonial-style campaign takes place as Vitatherm is being repositioned on the market. With immediate effect, the Vitatherm slogan will be: “Austria’s most popular heating oil.”< br> The white moon boots made famous by Hinterseer are also part of the new campaign.
The first campaign with Hansi Hinterseer starts in October 2010. There are plans for 1,000 TV placements (ORF/private channels/ATV), nationwide billboard advertising in 1,400 locations, direct mail and print advertising in regional and national media.
Further information on Vitatherm: www.schwefelfrei.at
Background information:
OMV Aktiengesellschaft
With Group sales of EUR 17.92 bn and a workforce of 34,676 employees in 2009, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. As the leading energy Group in the European growth belt, OMV is active in Refining & Marketing (R&M) in 12 countries. In Exploration & Production (E&P) OMV is active in 16 countries on four continents. In Gas & Power (G&P) OMV sells approximately 13 bcm gas per year. Through its 2,000 km long gas pipeline network in Austria G&P transports approximately 75 bcm gas annually. OMV’s Central European Gas Hub is with around 23 bcm annual trading volume one of the most important gas hubs in Continental Europe.
OMV is the leading energy Group in the European growth belt with oil and gas reserves of approximately 1.19 bn boe, daily production of around 318,000 boe in Q2/10 and an annual refining capacity of approximately 26 mn t. OMV now has 2,319 filling stations as of Q2/10. The market share of the group in the R&M business segment in the Danube Region is now 20%.
OMV further strengthened its leading position in the European growth belt through the acquisition of 41.58% of Petrol Ofisi, Turkey’s leading company in the retail and commercial business.
Sustainability
OMV is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, and an active supporter to the values enshrined in its Code of Conduct. These include a strong sense of responsibility towards the social and natural environment, especially in economically weak regions. OMV continuously addresses economic, environmental and social issues related to its business in a responsible manner. The Company reports on its activities in a sustainability report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines. This report is published at the same time as the annual report.
BP in Austria
“BP Europa SE Zweigniederlassung BP Austria” is part of the BP Group, one of the largest oil, gas and energy companies in the world. BP supplies the domestic market with fuel, convenience products (filling station shops), lubricants, heating oil, aviation fuel and liquid gas.
BP Europa SE Zweigniederlassung BP Austria employs 260 staff in Austria and operates around 430 filling stations. Sales in 2009 (when it was still BP Austria AG) were EUR 1,053.5 mn excluding fuel tax (EUR 1,727.9 mn including fuel tax). BP Gas Austria GmbH Nfg. OHG, Wals/Salzburg, which has 26 employees, was integrated into BP Europa SE with effect from 1.7.2010 as a subsidiary for the sale of liquid gas.
BP has an excellent competitive position in Austria and supplies the entire country with fuel in its role as a trade organisation. We are market leaders in the lubricants segment with our BP and Castrol brands. We have around 100,000 customer contacts a day and therefore have a clear focus on Austrian consumers. BP Europa SE Zweigniederlassung BP Austria is also able to draw on the know-how and research of the international BP Group.
In the heating segment BP sells the first sulphur-free heating oil, Vitatherm, via its dealer network, as well as innovative new products such as propane-powered thermal power stations and light liquid gas bottles called BP Gas Light. Alternative solar energy solutions are also available via an exclusive Austrian distributor of BP Solar Modules.
Acting responsibly and sustainability are fundamental elements of the entire group. Key focuses are safety and operational integrity, the protection of people and the environment, and security of supply. In order to integrate the various aspects that contribute towards sustainability into the daily actions of every employee, all staff have to comply with the BP Code of Conduct.
BP is a signatory to the European Road Safety Charter and has taken part in several programmes to make Austrian roads safer. BP also has a long-running partnership with the Austrian Red Cross in the social sector and for disaster relief. BP uses its non-profit initiative “targetneutral” to show Austrian motorists how they can become CO2 neutral drivers.
BP plc operates on a global basis with business activities and customers in more than 90 countries on six continents and around 85,000 employees. The group’s activities include oil and gas production, renewable and alternative energy, processing and distribution. BP has exploration and production interests in 29 countries. BP operates 22,600 filling stations with millions of customer contacts globally. The company provides its customers with transport fuel, heating fuel, lighting, retail and wholesale services and petrochemical products for everyday use.