An influencer activation built for content creation

Shell wanted to turn its Feel the Fuel campaign into a live environment built for content creation. We created an influencer experience designed to spark authentic reactions, standout content and global reach.

Find out how we made V-Power playable.

The Challenge

Shell V-Power had recently launched Feel the Fuel – its global campaign connecting its premium performance fuel with the emotion of driving and its track-proven partnership with Scuderia Ferrari.

To amplify the campaign, Shell brought together 56 global influencers who were contracted to create and share content throughout the experience.

Our challenge was to give them something extraordinary to capture.

The event needed to become a platform for content creation – packed with moments, access and experiences compelling enough to generate conversation and extend the campaign far beyond Budapest.

Shell’s objectives were to:

• Amplify reach – extending the event’s organic reach beyond influencer audiences into broader audiences across markets.
• Drive engagement – generating meaningful interactions including comments, likes and reposts.
• Grow awareness – introducing Shell V-Power to new audiences in markets with lower organic traction.
• Sustain the V-Power narrative – from anticipation before the event, to real-time buzz during it, and recall afterwards.
• Deliver a premium experience worthy of the product, the campaign and Shell’s partnership with Scuderia Ferrari.

In short, we needed to turn a campaign into an experience – and that experience into content people wanted to share.

The Solution

We created the first-ever Shell V-Power Games – a four-day competitive experience in Budapest, bringing together 56 global influencers in the build-up to the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Across physical, strategic and mental challenges, they competed to become the first Shell V-Power Games Champions, with money-can’t-buy prizes connected to Shell’s relationship with Scuderia Ferrari and the F1 weekend.

Our creative approach was simple: we made the product story playable.

Rather than surrounding influencers with campaign messaging, we translated Shell V-Power’s story into challenges, experiences and moments they could actively take part in. And because the experience had been created to generate content, we designed for two audiences at once: the influencers in Budapest and the much larger audiences following through their channels.

Every moment needed to work through a phone camera – with competition, surprise, humour, jeopardy and genuine reactions built in from the start.

Day 1 – Arrivals & Opening Ceremony

The content creation started from the moment influencers arrived.

At branded check-in, guests received their itinerary, outfits for the weekend and a bag of Shell and Ferrari merchandise – prompting immediate unboxing content across their social channels.

That evening, all 56 influencers came together for dinner, networking and the official Opening Ceremony. After an introduction to Feel the Fuel, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc made a surprise appearance for an on-stage Q&A, selfies and signed caps.

The night culminated in a 45-minute theatrical performance inspired by Budapest and Hungarian culture, building the energy and anticipation for what was to come.

Day 2 – Game Day

Then it was game on.

We took over Balaton Park race circuit, transforming it into a Shell V-Power competitive playground built around three active zones: Hot Laps, the Games Lounge and The Race.
Professional Ferrari drivers took every influencer on three high-speed laps of the circuit, giving them a visceral opportunity to Feel the Performance for themselves.

In the Games Lounge, five individual challenges turned V-Power product and campaign messages into gameplay. Influencers tested their precision by removing simulated performance-robbing deposits, put their reactions to the test, predicted answers from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, chased Charles’ Hungarian Grand Prix lap time in a simulator and tried to stop a custom-built fuel pump at exactly 100.

Then came The Race: six team challenges spelling out V-P-O-W-E-R.

Influencers raced through escape-room puzzles inspired by Shell and Ferrari’s partnership, decoded messages across the circuit, created podium content, tackled an interactive Track Lab experience developed with Shell scientists, raced RC Ferraris and went head-to-head in a simulated pit stop.

Fuel science, performance, partnership and product benefits became something participants could physically experience – while creating a constant stream of highly visual, shareable moments.

Day 3 – F1 Qualifying & Awards

The experience moved from the Games into the real world of Formula 1.

We transported around 100 guests and team members to the Hungarian Grand Prix for qualifying, where influencers experienced the on-track action alongside exclusive paddock and Ferrari garage tours.

That evening, we crowned the first-ever Shell V-Power Games Champions.

Awards celebrated the influencers who had brought the best energy and created memorable moments throughout the Games, while the top performers received the biggest prizes – including grid passes for the Grand Prix the following day.

Day 4 – Race Day

Everyone returned to the Hungarian Grand Prix for Race Day, bringing the experience to a high-energy finale.

For the Games Champions, the prize went even further, with exclusive Ferrari garage access, a grid pass and track access beneath the podium for the trophy lift.

The four days then closed with a celebratory dinner at Fisherman’s Bastion, bringing everyone together one final time. A thank-you speech reflected on the experience, while every guest left with a printed hero portrait from the event as a personal keepsake.

From first arrival to final dinner, every touchpoint had been designed to reinforce the Shell V-Power story – and create another moment worth experiencing, capturing and sharing.

The Value Created

The Shell V-Power Games took a live experience in Budapest and turned it into global brand communication at extraordinary scale.

• 900 million combined organic, paid and third-party social media reach, including influencer channels, by 18 September 2026
• 100% rated the overall experience Excellent or Good
• 100% said they would be interested in attending future V-Power events
• 95% rated both the Shell V-Power Games Day and F1 experience Excellent or Good

And the numbers only tell part of the story.

Influencers called it “the best brand trip I’ve ever had”, “unforgettable” and “one of the most enjoyable brand events I have been at.”

For Shell, it proved what was possible when brand, experience and creator content were designed together from the outset.

The result wasn’t simply more content.

It was a V-Power experience people genuinely wanted to talk about.

Client Feedback – Shell

A huge thank you for the monumental effort that you and the many people in your team put into Shell V-Power Games. All the influencers I spoke to were very positive about the experience – these are people that work with many brands, but I think we gave them something truly extraordinary.

Also, there was great feedback from the Shell market hosts – this event was proof of what we can do when global and market teams work together to do something at massive scale. I know that there were many months of work and a huge amount of planning behind the scenes. The attention to detail was fantastic and you and your teams were always ready to jump into action to make sure the event kept on track.