The makers of Quaker State motor oil and digital media company Onion Inc. have teamed up for the second consecutive year to create a humorous content series that emphasizes the brand’s “Just Damn Good Oil” positioning.
“The Interns” is an eight-part video series that uses hidden camera-style footage to show Quaker State marketing “interns” pitching outlandish, gimmicky ideas to promote the product. The series is a follow-up to the companies’ first parody video project fielded in 2016.
“Consumers tell us that they’re not interested in fancy marketing they just want good quality oil at a reasonable price,” says Nancy Salazar, Quaker State brand manager. “The Onion helps us poke fun at the category’s traditional use of jargon-heavy advertising, sending the message that we care about the same things consumers do: value and performance.”
Onion Inc.’s creative services division, Onion Labs, developed “The Interns.” The series’ eight installments and accompanying social content will run throughout the rest of 2017.
“We at Onion Labs love calling out all that is ridiculous in the world. This Quaker State campaign is an extension of that. We got to make fun of some popular marketing tropes we’ve all seen. Anyone annoyed by tacky marketing gimmicks is going to like this campaign,” said Eric Munn, creative lead for Onion Labs.
