Valvoline Revs Up Summer Strategy with Betty’s Joymobile Campaign

An inflatable flamingo, a rolling hotdog, and a grill on wheels.

These aren’t summer toys but Valvoline Instant Oil Change’s (VIOC) latest fleet of campaign stars.

In its first seasonal effort under a new partnership with creative agency Betty, the brand is rolling out “Summer Drives Start Here.”

It's a campaign designed to capture the freedom and energy of the busiest driving season of the year.

Running from mid-May through early September, the campaign champions VIOC’s quick yet thoughtful car care.

And it does so just in time for Fourth of July road trips and long weekends.

To visualize the spirit of summer, Betty reimagined car culture through a playful new vehicle lineup: the “joymobiles.”

Created with production partner Pixel Farm, these CGI-powered cars include everything from a souped-up grillmobile to a full-length hotdog cruiser.

It’s part of a broader effort to translate VIOC’s “happy to help” ethos into a visual messaging strategy that’s both fresh and memorable.

"We wanted to shift gears on the perception of an oil change from something people simply have to do to a service that empowers them to unlock summer’s full potential," Dustin Joyce, Betty Group's creative director, told DesignRush.

"The joymobiles are eye-catching and whimsical, pairing iconic summer imagery with messaging about VIOC’s unmatched convenience, expertise and value.

They aim to show that VIOC doesn’t just keep customers’ cars running — it also helps keep summer fun rolling."

The creative direction also marks a shift from VIOC’s traditional branding.

For the first time, the company is stepping outside its red-and-blue palette in favor of vibrant colors to match the lighthearted tone of the season.

Spots, Color, and Summer Icons

The “joymobiles” appear across a full mix of digital banners, paid social, email, terrestrial and digital radio, and on VIOC’s official website.

Each vehicle is modeled around a familiar summer motif, like a flamingo floatie or a backyard barbecue.

All to bring its brand messaging to life in quirky, animated form.

And while the visuals do the heavy lifting, the campaign still anchors itself on what Valvoline Instant Oil Change does best: fast, quality service.

The brand’s technicians go through 270 hours of training and serve nearly 1,900 locations, all driven by what they call their “VAMILY” approach to customer care.

This summer push is a way to reconnect with drivers not just as customers, but as people ready to make memories on the road.

Our Take: Can Car Service Really Feel Like Summer?

When brands like VIOC want to set the mood right, they can. 

It’s easy to think of oil changes as a chore, but this campaign flips that mindset.

Betty’s use of joymobiles turns preventive maintenance into part of the fun, especially with something as unexpected as a hotdog-shaped vehicle.

I like that VIOC isn’t just reminding us they’re fast, they’re reminding us why fast matters.

And it's because there’s an exciting summer out there waiting.

Recently, Betty launched a campaign for Natrol starring Josh Allen to highlight the importance of sleep.