TotalEnergies Turkey Pazarlama, which has been operating in lubricants production and marketing industries of Turkey for more than 30 years, continues to offer a unique experience to vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics through its “Ustaya Özel” digital platform. The first and only in Turkey’s lubricants field thanks to the comprehensive services and privileges it offers and in terms of working on an integrated system, the platform has proven its success by being awarded in the Best-in-Brand Experience and Activation category at the Felis Awards, which rewards creativity, impact, and quality in marketing communications.
TotalEnergies Turkey Marketing and Technology Director Fırat Dokur said, “Our goal was to create a platform by using TotalEnergies and ELF’s global expertise in the field of lubricants and our ability to make use of innovation and technology in Turkey. And we achieved. This award has been an important source of motivation for us during our journey. As stakeholders, especially our project team, which contributed to building the platform, we are happy and proud that such a special platform has been rewarded for its success within one year of its launch.” We asked Dokur about how the platform was received by vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics, and about other developments.
How do you feel about the ‘Ustaya Özel’ platform being chosen for the Best-in-Brand Experience and Activation category at the Felis Awards, which rewards creativity, impact, and quality in marketing communications?
With the “Ustaya Özel” application and its slogan “Fine lubricants met special mechanics”, we sought to improve our direct communication with valuable vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics working at individual auto service centers, which constitute an important part of our portfolio, and offer them privileges, thus bolstering their loyalty to our brand. Being awarded this prestigious award in the marketing field, the winner of which is chosen after a detailed and careful evaluation by a distinguished jury, was an important motivation for our stakeholders who worked on the project. We are happy and proud of all the stakeholders who contributed to this project, which was realized by a large and competent team.
Could you tell us about the current data and recent developments regarding the “Ustaya Özel” platform?
More than 7,000 workers from over 3,000 car repair centers across Turkey have joined the platform since January 2021. More than 30,000 photos and videos with technical content that will help platform members were shared from thousands of car repair centers from all over Turkey. We provided 20 different technical training sessions and 10 technical bulletins for our members in the training section. Nearly 600 of our members joined discussions and found answers to approximately 8,200 questions in the forum section, where technical problems are discussed. We sent prizes to winners among hundreds of members who participated in 20 different competitions. More than 300 members, who were among the best in the 47-week and 11-month rankings based on the active use of the platform, won gifts. We are extremely pleased with the results achieved within the first year of the platform’s launch. We will keep the platform up to date by actively posting and offering content, and continue to interact with vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics and provide value-added services. We believe this will help us increase these numbers exponentially in coming years.
Could you tell us what makes the platform different from all the others?
Our goal was to offer a unique experience, one without equal in the sector, through our “Ustaya Özel” platform, which we developed with users’ needs in mind. I can confidently say that the “Ustaya Özel” application is the first and only of its kind in Turkey in the lubricant field, thanks to the qualified services and privileges it provides to vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics. Vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics can earn “lub point” from the lubricant purchases they make during campaign periods, keep track of their points through the application, and get free-of-charge products by using these points in their next order. Since all current accounts are automatically tracked through an integrated distributor sales system, no manuals or additional procedures are needed to enjoy these benefits. Vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics can earn “activity points” through professional content-sharing and competitions that they can take part in via the application. These points can then be converted into tokens that they can exchange for free products. Moreover, vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics who use the platform, share quality content, and actively use the application’s various features can also win surprise gifts if they place at the top of the weekly and monthly rankings. We are extremely happy to create value for our users with all these features that make the platform unique.
What kind of feedback have you received from vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics?
Vehicle maintenance and repair mechanics hold an important place among our stakeholders. The platform lets us establish direct contact with these valuable people and maintain communication with them at all times. They say they are extremely pleased with the extensive services and privileges offered to them. They add that the platform is easy to use and access, both via the mobile application and the website. Furthermore, they are extremely pleased to be able to access the system quickly, track their points, and benefit from the campaigns, even during busy work periods. They believe that their ability to order free products by using the lub points they earn gives TotalEnergies a competitive edge. They also enjoy communicating and exchanging information with their counterparts from all over Turkey through the forums available on the “Ustaya Özel” platform. Their satisfaction boosts their loyalty to our brand, and thus contributes significantly to an increase in overall brand loyalty.
Which of the platform’s features are used the most?
The forum section and gallery, where users can exchange ideas with fellow platform members across Turkey, are used extensively. More than 30,000 technical photos and videos have been shared, which represents the biggest indicator in this regard. And we encourage mechanics to cooperate with each other via the platform. The forum, where technical problems are discussed, is one of the most-visited sections by users seeking technical support from expert consultants authorized by TotalEnergies. Users have also shown great interest in our competitions, which cover a range of different concepts. They are very excited to be highly-ranked among members who use the platform the most, and to win prizes.
Will the platform introduce any new features in the short-term future?
By directing end-users to the “Ustaya Özel” program’s membership services through the “TotalEnergies Service Finder” website, which we plan to launch in tandem with the application, we hope to provide another valuable service to all users within the lubricants ecosystem. We also intend to offer promotions to individual auto service centers, organize events, and provide new content on the “Ustaya Özel” platform, thus transforming it into the main communication channel by which TotalEnergies and ELF maintain contact with individual auto service centers.
