BP sellers divided over changing tarnished name
Source: Agencies |
July 31, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
BP gas station owners across America are divided over whether the oil giant stained by its handling of the Gulf spill should rebrand United States outlets as Amoco or another name as part of its effort to repair the company's badly damaged reputation.
Some who have seen their sales plunge because of protests say BP has already sought a fresh start by naming an American to replace its gaffe-prone British CEO, so why not change the name on gas station marquees as a further symbol of that culture shift.
Others worry that a name change is a big deal that is risky given all the marketing dollars already spent building up the BP brand. They also believe a successful turnaround with the existing brand will have a bigger payoff. In the aftermath of the oil spill, some BP-branded gas stations reported sales declines of 10 percent to 40 percent from Florida to Illinois. BP later responded by offering distributors of BP gasoline cash in their pockets, reductions in credit card fees and help with more national advertising.
The BP name and green-and-yellow sunflower logo took over after BP merged with Amoco in the late 1990s, replacing the Amoco name and its blue-and-red torch inside an oval logo.
John Kleine, who heads a trade group that represents distributors of BP gasoline in the US, said that interest in changing names had not reached a fever pitch by any means, but it has supporters and is percolating among station owners ahead of their annual convention with BP executives in October.
"Is it on the minds of people? Sure," Kleine said. "It would not be a topic of conversation if not for the oil spill."
Distributors in many cases also own and operate stations. BP owns just a fraction of the more than 11,000 stations across the US that sell its fuel mostly under the BP banner. ARCO, a BP affiliate, is predominant in the West. Kleine said the Amoco name is no longer supposed to be used, but said it may still exist in a few locations.
Bob Dudley, the American who will replace Tony Hayward as CEO on October 1, worked for 20 years at Amoco Corp.
Some who have seen their sales plunge because of protests say BP has already sought a fresh start by naming an American to replace its gaffe-prone British CEO, so why not change the name on gas station marquees as a further symbol of that culture shift.
Others worry that a name change is a big deal that is risky given all the marketing dollars already spent building up the BP brand. They also believe a successful turnaround with the existing brand will have a bigger payoff. In the aftermath of the oil spill, some BP-branded gas stations reported sales declines of 10 percent to 40 percent from Florida to Illinois. BP later responded by offering distributors of BP gasoline cash in their pockets, reductions in credit card fees and help with more national advertising.
The BP name and green-and-yellow sunflower logo took over after BP merged with Amoco in the late 1990s, replacing the Amoco name and its blue-and-red torch inside an oval logo.
John Kleine, who heads a trade group that represents distributors of BP gasoline in the US, said that interest in changing names had not reached a fever pitch by any means, but it has supporters and is percolating among station owners ahead of their annual convention with BP executives in October.
"Is it on the minds of people? Sure," Kleine said. "It would not be a topic of conversation if not for the oil spill."
Distributors in many cases also own and operate stations. BP owns just a fraction of the more than 11,000 stations across the US that sell its fuel mostly under the BP banner. ARCO, a BP affiliate, is predominant in the West. Kleine said the Amoco name is no longer supposed to be used, but said it may still exist in a few locations.
Bob Dudley, the American who will replace Tony Hayward as CEO on October 1, worked for 20 years at Amoco Corp.
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