(Click here to read Gerald Lewis' original editorial,"Whither BP? Should Amoco be standard? Can retailers distance themselves from Big Oil?".)(Also,click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage of some BP marketers' movement to switch back to the Amoco brand. Andclick here for complete previous coverage of the BP oil spill story.)
Reader responses:
Can we BP dealers band together in a class-action lawsuit to influence BP direction in this matter or seek some real compensations? We cannot continue bleeding.
Name Withheld
I just read the article penned by Gerald Lewis titled "Whither BP." As a BP jobber...providing BP branded product to [several] dealer locations, my comment to Gerald is "you are obviously not as familiar with this issue as you should be." His facts are very time dated and, in my opinion, very inaccurate. Obviously, Gerald has been influenced by the same industry in which he is a part ofthe media.
Name Withheld
I'm fully agree with Gerald to what he said for BP rebranding. The company should change their name to Amoco as soon as possible.
Name Withheld
I do agree with Gerald Lewis. I own and operate two independent Texaco stations; Amoco is a much more accepted, respected and recognized brand than BP, even before the oil spill. BP should extend a helping hand to their branded independents and offer them an option to re-brand (at BP's expense) to Amoco.
Name Withheld
I have a couple of issues with this article:
1. When was it written? BP and their jobbers/dealers have had the "we are locally owned and operated" signage in place for over a month.
2. It is hard to believe that an "industry expert" thinks that a dealer can just "take down the BP sign." There are massive legal and financial ramifications around taking that action.
3. Rebranding is very expensive. I was with BP when they converted the stations for Amoco and the costs ran into the many millions of dollars. I agree that it was the wrong decision then...but you have to look much more deeply to determine if "fixing the brand" might be more cost effective and a better long-term answer than rebranding.
4. As I said, I am a former BP employee and I have no reason to defend the company. I have had the opportunity to do some contract work for them regarding the response, so I have some first-hand knowledge of what has gone on after the initial accident. I don't know what they will find as the real cause of the explosion, and they certainly have had their PR gaffes. But if the media is at all fair, it will eventually come out that the actions to control the leak, handle the released crude and keep the people affected financially whole will be a great success. Unfortunately, "journalists" today see little value in writing good news and will propagate the "evil BP" image as long as they can.
Name Withheld
As a marketing professional I couldn't agree more with what he stated. The analysis of what not to do compared to the Tylenol scandal & response was dead on. Hopefully, BP will read the article and take action, if it isn't too late already.
Name Withheld
Gerald Lewis is just not paying attention to what BP has done and is doing to respond the situation in the gulf, and with its marketers.
For the past few months, BP and our marketers have been doing a variety of local advertising in Gulf states promoting the "locally owned, locally operated" theme, something ignored in the editorial. Gerald also implies that our marketers are free to change brands from BP to Amoco, ignoring two glaring points. BP does have some say in the image deployed at sites selling our fuel, and by the waydoes anyone know where I can get a new Torch and Oval image kit for any size location? For any dispensers?
Anyway, I thought the editorial was well written, had a nice light touch and I did like parts of it. At some point though, as a BP employee, I think it would be nice to have someone recognize the difficulty of the engineering challenges that have been overcome, and the accountability that BP has taken for local business impact, the oil cleanup on the water and on shore and the commitment to restore the environment to it's pre-spill state, no matter how long that takes.
By the way, I worked for Amoco for 30 years before the takeover by BP disguised as a merger. I was no fan at firstbut today, in my 40-plus years of employment, I've never been prouder to work for a company than I am right now.
Name Withheld
Lewis responded:
Having spent over 30 years assisting oil companies around the globe with their motor fuel and convenience retailing facilities and operations, I have more than a journalist's insight into the issues oil companies and their dealers face. In my column, I tried to take a long view of the situation facing BP corporate and BP dealers and clearly some of my thoughts have already been addressed.
Unfortunately, it is a fact that, once a brand is seriously damaged, fixing it is a very hard, expensive and long-term processwith no certainty of success. Even today, I believe, the Exxon brand continues to suffer from the Valdez debacle.
After initial stumbles, BP has acted wellparticularly technologically, where what they achieved robotically a mile under water boggles the mind. From a PR standpoint, however, their efforts to help dealers have not been sufficient. Most of the public, as evidenced by some of these responses, has not got the message about dealers being independent, regardless of the signage at the stations. A much more powerful multi-pronged effort by groups of dealers, sponsored by BP, may well be called forbut even this would not be a long-term solution for the brand.
The bottom line is that, in the United States, BP is in a position that, to my knowledge, no other damaged brand has ever enjoyed. They own another brandAmocothat is, arguably, better than the one that is damaged. It seems to me that, whatever it would cost BP corporate to switch from BP to Amoco in the United Statesand fully cover all dealer costs to do sowould be a less expensive, quicker and surer solution than trying to repair the long-term damage that has already been done to the BP brand.
Watch for more on this issue in the September issue of CSP magazine.
Gerald Lewis is a veteran industry consultant and columnist for CSP magazine. Do you agree or disagree with his take on the issue? Email your comments to CSP Group Editor Mitch Morrison at mmorrison@cspnet.com.
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