So why Exxon Mobil Chad???

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but rarely has any corporation had such a love/hate relationship with people around the globe like Exxon Mobil. No one has been more love-hated since Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman…” But in Exxon Mobil’s case, the college dudes high-fiving the former President for playing the field are the customers who every week pull into that Exxon station to “fill-er-up,” and the boo-ers who despised Clinton for his extra-marital affair and his lies are the countless environmentalists, liberals and angry former SUV drivers who hate the prices they have to pay at the pump.


We must realize that though Exxon Mobil is synonymous with gasoline, the company is much more than just suppliers of that coveted fuel. (Please see http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/About/what_we_do.asp for more information on what exactly the company does.) And with this blog, I will explore the workings and business practices of Exxon Mobil with a particular interest in its public relations activities. After all, check out the advertisements on the Exxon Mobil Web site: http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/. Almost all of the flash videos are “feel-good” Public Service Announcements for our children’s future and what the company does to alleviate the energy crisis. Man, I hope those PR people there make plenty of $$$, because the talent they posses in minimizing negative image is way over my realm of comprehension.


The challenges the PR people at Exxon Mobil face are daily headaches of bad image caused by what some people call immoral business practices. I wouldn’t hug the CEO of any gasoline providing corporation for that matter…


But the opportunities these professionals have to improve the company’s image are incredible. We are in an energy/global warming panic now and no one could make me feel better about saving the environment than a company that supplies me with gas that was collected and distributed fairly at a reasonable price, while telling me they solar powered their tankers and pet an Alaskan baby seal while they were there. Obviously these things will not happen…but PR people are smart and will find any possible way to give me that feeling so long as they want my cash.


Why did I choose Exxon Mobil for this blog? My first paragraph says it all…When I think of a company who is HATED and seethed at, I think Exxon. I try not to buy gas there for goodness sake. But wait a hot second…they aren’t suffering in the wallet! They must being doing something right there at good ole headquarters.
My hope is that through these blog entries over the next couple months, you and I can decipher what Exxon Mobil is all about. I don’t just want to know simply why they’re hated, how great their PR group is, etc. I want to dig deeper to find a true balance in my ideas of the company. What does Exxon Mobil stand for?