Helping Castrol Switch On An Electric Future

WMH has collaborated with its long-time client partner Castrol, to create the name and identity for a new umbrella brand that will cover its range of e-Fluids for the electric vehicle market. Castrol ON signals the business’s move into electric mobility.

The business approached WMH over 18 months ago to create the positioning, name and identity for this advanced range of products which are already used by the Jaguar Racing Formula E Team.

Focusing on the desire to position Castrol as pioneers in e-mobility, WMH wanted to create a brand that was forward thinking, bright and futuristic. Positioning Castrol as a business that helps the global switch to electrification, the name ‘ON’ was established as the brand name and created simultaneously with the brand identity which uses the globally familiar digital toggle button – swiping from left/off to right/on – as inspiration.

Easily recognisable, the physical movement is represented on the graphic, as the ‘O’ comes from a colour gradient going from dark blue, through vivid blue to bright fluorescent green communicating both its e-mobility credentials.

The silver ‘O’ and ‘N’, at a slight angle shows a brand forever in motion and always moving forward whilst emitting a future-focused feel. In its online activated state, the Castrol ON switch energises illuminated graphics, while the energy lines communicate progress and show how Castrol ON helps to make the switch to an electric future.

On the launch of Castrol ON, Phil Neck, Global Marketing Lead for Castrol e-Fluids, said; “The launch of Castrol ON is a clear indication of the work we are doing at Castrol to help drive the electric vehicle sector forward. The new name and identity are crucial to position Castrol as a credible player in this future market”.

Garrick Hamm, creative partner at WMH added; “We been working with Castrol for over 10 years now and I’m thrilled we are part of this next bold & pioneering step with them, as they launch their e-Fluids brand.”

Click here to read the full case study.

Formula 1 is dead. Long live, erm Formula E?

Boris Johnson recently revealed that a ban on selling new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars in the UK will be brought forward to 2035 so we can be carbon zero by 2050. In the not too distant future, our ‘personal mobility solution’ will be an autonomous electric vehicle that we will call up whenever we need it. This will be the final nail in the coffin of our century old love of the automobile.

No more lovingly polishing the beast in the driveway (it’s already banned in Germany) and no more excuses to treat your wife to a chrome exhaust or a pair of leather driving gloves. All this will be a thought crime – in some parts of woke Britain it already is. Sports cars will disappear and Formula 1, that great testing ground for automotive development will go the way of Linoleum. While we stress over whether our hummus pot is recyclable, Formula 1’s annual carbon emissions are about 256,600 tonnes. It’s done for.

It’s electrifying!

Unsurprisingly, “I’ve just bought a Nissan Leaf” is a conversation stopper, even at a vegan dinner party. Electric cars just aren’t sexy, but there is some light on the horizon for those who can’t live without a bit of four wheeled derring-do on their TV screen. Last Saturday a Kiwi chap called Mitch Evans won an accident strewn race in Mexico City without using any petrol and making hardly any noise.

To many race fans Formula E, the electric racing series, is a poor show. There is some truth in this. The drivers are all has beens and the upcoming ‘London E Prix’ will actually race through a shed called the ExCel exhibition centre somewhere in East London and nobody will bother going. However, Formula E is the perfect testing ground for electric vehicle development and it’s why Porsche, Jaguar, Mahindra, BMW, Audi, Citroen, Mercedes and Nissan have all piled in.

Electric vehicles are not perfect. They drop minute and harmful particles into the atmosphere from their brakes and tyres and electricity still needs to be generated, much of it still from dirty fossil fuels. As for Lithium mining, don’t even go there. However, Formula E will be the laboratory for all sorts of innovation from braking systems to low wear, low emission tyres and high-tech lubricants that the drivetrain manufacturer puts in that you’ll never see – we are working on these with Castrol already.

EVs will spawn a massive growth of new supporting brands to service the biggest revolution in private transport since the introduction of the internal combustion engine. So far, the Formula E paddock is a bit short on sponsors. Where is the trusted international charging network, the ethically source lithium brand or the wiper free glass? For anyone interested in innovation and branding look no further than the EV revolution and Formula E. There’s tons to do.

Author: Richard Williams – Founder Williams Murray Hamm

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Castrol Bio-Synthetic wins at TDC 2017

We are pleased to announce that Castrol Bio- Synthetic, our entry in the TDC Communication Design Competition has won a ‘Certificate of Typographic Excellence’

The work was selected from from over eighteen hundred entries from fifty countries.

A high performing job all round.

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For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2017 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Castrol Bio-Synthetic

WMH has launched a new ‘bio’ variant of the Castrol EDGE and Castrol MAGNATEC brands that includes 25% of oil derived from plant sources.


Whilst this is not the first launch of a bio-derived oil, it is the first by a global major company. Castrol’s clever engineering and cutting edge technology have made it possible to take plant oil (and its natural lubricating qualities) in combination with traditional fossil-based oils to create a bio-lubricant that protects as well as standard Castrol EDGE or MAGNATEC.

“Pioneering with plants” – we brought together this natural tension creating a world and visual language unique to Castrol Bio-Synthetic oils. The new design stretches across film, packaging and web banners.

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For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2016 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.