2025 saw bp pulse, the EV charging provider, enter its third year as a CarFest sponsor, and second as headline partner. Founded by radio DJ, Chris Evans, CarFest combines cars with a popular festival line up and family-friend entertainment, attracting 100,000+ visitors across the August bank holiday weekend.
As music and festivals were identified as a strong passion point for bp pulse’s target audience, with CarFest offering both cultural relevance and automotive credibility, the sponsorship provided a powerful platform to address the business need to grow awareness, strengthen brand perception, and drive trial of its nationwide ultrafast EV charging network.
bp pulse used its second year as headline sponsor to build further value and awareness of its ‘Every EV is a VIP’ programme where EV drivers are rewarded with exclusive perks including lounge access, priority parking and a £20 charging voucher. This not only enhanced the festival experience but also directly drove trial: 727 EV drivers registered, 650 vouchers were issued, and 315 were redeemed – of which 173 were by new customers.
The activation was amplified across CarFest’s effective media ecosystem, including Virgin Radio, paid media and earned coverage extending to a reach of two billion. Digital engagement further extended impact, with solus emails achieving a 54% open rate and social content delivering more than 200k views.
Brand tracking showed strong results: 80% awareness, 68% association with nationwide ultrafast charging, 69% agreement that bp pulse is innovative, and 65% saying bp pulse is a brand ‘for people like me’.
