The Shell Mastermind promotion was launched Monday 2rd July 1984
Large Shell Mastermind forecourt poster. Approx size: 35 x 45 cm portrait.
(John Donovan with Shell Mastermind poster, October 2020)
Front cover of Marketing Magazine published 6 September 1984
SCREENSHOTS FROM BBC TV MONEY PROGRAMME ON BBC TV (presented by Brian Widelake and Valerie Singleton). PACKAGE FOCUSSED MAINLY ON SHELL MASTERMIND. THE BBC FILMED DON MARKETING’S SUPERVISION OF THE PRINTING OF THE SHELL MASTERMIND GAME IN NORTH WALES.
SCREENSHOT OF JOHN CHAMBERS FILMED INTERVIEW ON “THE MONEY PROGRAMME” WHEN THE SHELL MASTERMIND GAME WAS STILL IN PROGRESS AND MORE MASTERMIND GAME PIECES WERE BEING PRINTED. 
TWO SCREENSHOTS SHOWING SHELL MASTERMIND GAME PIECES BEING PRINTED BY DOBSON & CROWTHER PRINTERS IN NORTH WALES
DON MARKETING CO-FOUNDER DON REDHEAD, FILMED SEEDING THE MAJOR PRIZES DURING THE SHELL MASTERMIND PRINT RUN OF 96 MILLION GAME PIECES
KEN BROWN CARRYING OUT PRIZE VERIFICATION OF SHELL MASTERMIND MAJOR PRIZE CLAIMS
SCREENSHOTS OF DON MARKETING MANAGEMENT TRAINEE SWEN OLSEN FILMED OPERATING A VIDEO VERIFICATION CAMERA DURING THE MAJOR PRIZE VERIFICATION PROCESS OF THE SHELL MASTERMIND GAME
MAGNIFYING DEVICE BEING USED ON A SHELL MASTERMIND GAME PIECE CLAIM FOR A £500 PRIZE
SCREENSHOT OF FINAL INTERVIEW SEGMENT WITH JOHN CHAMBERS ON “THE MONEY PROGRAMME”
SCREENSHOT- CLOSING MAIN CREDITS FROM “THE MONEY PROGRAMME”
Related
Shell Press Release for Shell Mastermind Promotion July 1984, plus FULL RULES and Game Piece (Promotion launched Monday 2rd July 1984)
EXTRACT FROM PRESS RELEASE:
John Smeddle, Sales Manager, Shell UK Oil said: “The success of Make Money, which we launched in February, is now a matter of record. It increased our trade and helped to change the petrol market from one concentrating almost exclusively on price to one where we could create interest and excitement for the motorist buying petrol at a fair price.
“The fact that so many of our competitors followed into national promotions is testimony to the power of a properly structured forecourt game.”
Shell Mastermind whole page advert: The Standard 2 August 1984 (London Evening Standard)
Shell Mastermind whole page advert: Daily Mirror 27 August 1984
Don Marketing whole page ad relating to Shell Mastermind in Marketing Magazine, 6 September 1984
Marketing Magazine Sales Promotion Survey 6 September 1984: Covers Shell Make Money and Mastermind Promotions
Screenshot and photo from page 2 of the report headlined ‘Games fuel pump wars’
Photo from page 4 of the report headlined ‘Games fuel pump wars’
Why games became big business: Campaign Magazine 14 September 1984
EXTRACTS
Campaign Magazine 14 September 1984
PREMIUMS & INCENTIVES SPECIAL REPORT
Promotional games … the petrol companies made them the hot marketing tool of 1984, The Times made them the acceptable face of marketing
Why games became big business
The story of a marketing boom. John Chambers, MD of Don Marketing, opens a 27-page report
Chambers … ‘the experts must rise to the challenge of creating new concepts’
Promotional games are undoubtedly the hottest marketing tool of 1984.
When The Times newspaper decided to use an up-market bingo-style game to boost circulation, it was clear that games had finally become the acceptable face of marketing. And they have taken off this year largely because of the decision by Shell and the other major petrol companies to mount an intensive forecourt promotional battle for market share, using games, ranging from Shell’s Make Money to Mobil’s version of the Scrabble board game.
In July, a second round of promotions was initiated by Shell with the Mastermind promotion – a new match-up game developed and structured by us. All these add up to a £30 million injection of spending by the petrol companies.
Successful games have three key elements – talkability, play-ability, and heart-stopping effect. Talkability is the infectious word-of-mouth excitement triggered by the launch of a good, stimulating game. Playability is the powerful compulsion to try it over and over again – even after a win. The heart-stopper element is when the consumer, casually playing a game, suddenly realises he is very close to a major prize.
The Great Guinness Challenge had all three elements. It was a sports quiz game which ran in 22,000 pubs in the summer of 1982, with considerable success. Every Guinness buyer was given a game card. They had to establish the predominant qualities of a group of eight sportsmen, who were revealed by scratching off the protective covering.
The game was even more popular than Guinness had hoped. It established interest, created goodwill and is said to have added 30 per cent to sales of draught Guinness.
Cerebral promotion for drivers: Promotions & Incentives, September 1984
