Hey, a BIG UP to Exxon Mobil: its branding ROCKS!
It’s true, you know you can’t disagree. You see those unmistakable two red crossing “X’s” and you know who it is and what they are selling. Unlike Kleenex (it can be commonly agreed) who has lost all control over its branding, Exxon Mobil remains strong and true to its brand image.
Mrs. Smith: “Excuse me, Mr. Smith, would you mind giving me a Kleenex? I need to blow my nose.”
Mr. Smith: “Well of course darling. Here’s your Kleenex.”
All the while, he’s handing her a box that blatantly has “PUFFS” written on it.
It’s true, you know you can’t disagree. You see those unmistakable two red crossing “X’s” and you know who it is and what they are selling. Unlike Kleenex (it can be commonly agreed) who has lost all control over its branding, Exxon Mobil remains strong and true to its brand image.
Mrs. Smith: “Excuse me, Mr. Smith, would you mind giving me a Kleenex? I need to blow my nose.”
Mr. Smith: “Well of course darling. Here’s your Kleenex.”
All the while, he’s handing her a box that blatantly has “PUFFS” written on it.
I can hardly think of a better example…
But it reins definitively true that Exxon Mobil has branded its products and services to an unending degree and made sure no one (and I mean no one) will forget what Exxon Mobil sells and what it does.
The brand image of Exxon Mobil, in my opinion, coincides with BIG OIL. Please see this site for commentary from “environment-lovers:” http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/states_pension.php. The company can’t win everyone’s heart, that’s for darn sure. Exxon Mobil is a gigantic, powerful, oil/power hungry, money-making machine. The brand is so powerful and well known that people such as myself see Mobil gas stations and drive right by hoping for a Sunoco to pop up sooner rather than later as our gas gauge stoops to E. We associate that big, red writing with the powerful BIG OIL company that Exxon Mobil is.
What do the Exxon Mobil PR people do to enhance this image? If anything, I believe they try to neutralize or minimize it. The noble initiatives taken on by the company, stated in this blog’s previous entry, are ways the PR staff attempts to illustrate Exxon Mobil as being a caring, helpful, concerned public/national citizen. Please refer to the site’s “community” section: http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/community.aspx. Heck, who doesn’t love a company that educates little kids in 3rd world countries, or who rewards women for their educational accomplishments, and that there is a massive shortage of scientists in the world but Exxon cares and is trying to do something about this catastrophe (never mind that in the end they are helping themselves…okay, check the cynicism Chadwick). The PR people at Exxon Mobil work their behinds off so that their company does not get the BIG OIL image. Whether that power is completely in their hands is debatable (the issue concerning BIG OIL is so much bigger than just a single company no matter how huge), but man, do they try!
Another great brand image tactic the PR people have going at Exxon Mobil, is its “commitment to the future and technological breakthroughs.” I am a true believer in the fact that people LOVE new technology. They LOVE new ways of doing things. For example: diesel gas and ethanol is driving those hippie kids nuts. And people LOVE innovation. Sometimes I just get this image in my head of a middle aged bald man staring at the TV during an Exxon Mobil commercial (which, take note, there are very few of. Good job Exxon PR people…don’t allow your advertising team to over-expose you so that we don’t get sick of you. Your darn easily identifiable logo is everywhere anyways.) and drooling like a 3rd grader in awe of the innovation Exxon Mobil claims to have going on. “Oooohhh. AAhhhhhhh!”
Another great aspect for the corporation’s brand image (that the talented PR workers put together I’m sure) are the “who we are,” “what we do,” “where we work,” “integrity in our operations,” etc. sections on the company’s Web site which allow stakeholders, consumers, competitors, investors, etc. to learn about Exxon Mobil and ultimately like what they read. PR people don’t go into the business being horrible writers. These people get paid the big bucks to make the company look good in these “come get to know me, I’m awesome,” sections of the Web site.
Despite Exxon Mobil being possibly one of the most hated companies in the world, its PR people know what to say, to whom and where it should be posted to get a good message across. I have this theory, that like many old style Southern Belles, PR people could tell you “to go to Hell” and you’ll be thinking you’re heading on a trip to Aruba. That is how good they are at writing.
Please see: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0129-03.htm It’s a Web site for “Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community.” Essentially the article tears Exxon Mobil apart for it’s less than environmentally friendly practices: “Just one oil company has thrown three times as much carbon dioxide into the air as the current annual emissions from fossil fuels, a new study by Friends of the Earth claims.” – Sanjay Suri, CommonDreams.org. It’s a great read for a balanced view point.
But on the other hand, please see Exxon Mobil’s statement of commitment to preserving the environment: http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/energy_biodiversity.aspx and http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/energy_climate.aspx (There are many more areas to find such topics on the site. Feel free to browse.). These sections on the company’s Web site paint a much prettier picture of Exxon Mobil’s interaction with the Earth. Hmm…like I said, a trip to Aruba.
Think about it though…we are not headed to Aruba if this Global Warming stuff persists (http://www.squidoo.com/Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions/). We are eventually headed for nothing good at all.
And on an entirely unrelated, yet still important note, check out this site for the U.K. Guardian about how biofuels might actually end up hurting us: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2043724,00.html. Crazy I say. But, still very much worth reading!
Ultimately, Exxon Mobil’s PR staff does a knock up job projecting its brand to the entire world if one simply peruses the company’s Web site: www.exxonmobil.com. They work hard for everyone to know who/what Exxon Mobil is, that the company is there, and hey, they are lookin’ good (on the site)!
On the other hand, Exxon Mobil’s customer relations are a little less extensive. I know for a fact, that my father will buy gasoline from nowhere other than Mobil. Why? Sadly, I forget, but if anything, this means…say it with me: customer loyalty! Yay! This is any corporations’ bread and butter. Those people, such as Chadwick Medleson Jr., are coming back to their place of service time and time again without fail. My father would drive past four other gas stations to get to a Mobil! And might I add those four others stations were not only closer (save some gas dad…), but they were CHEAPER!!! Gahh, I’m getting frustrated.
Please see this link to the Exxon Mobil Web site: http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/about_operations_sbc_customer.aspx
Here you will find a very (repeat, very) short guideline for consumer relations. Hey, while we are considering Exxon Mobil gas stations as the company’s customer (they are included in the above guidelines), word on the street is that Exxon forcibly controls each station franchise to the point of strangulation. Remember from one of my first posts, I said often times people simply find Exxon Mobil’s business practices immoral? This is exactly where my point comes in. It has been reported by differing sources (yet I’m sure unreliably liberal sources…ok, ok, it was my best friend Keith. But he reads the newspaper a lot! Ok, I’m embarrassing myself.), that Exxon Mobil will not allow the sale of eco-friendly ethanol or bio-diesel to occur beyond a small amount per month (these fuels are much more difficult and expensive to attain and not as profitable as fossil fuels as the majority of drivers in the U.S. still do not have vehicles adapted to such new fuel technologies). After scouring the Internet, I found no evidence of this claim. Yet, if those Exxon Mobil PR people are getting paid as much as I think they are, then there wouldn’t be any evidence. That means they are doing their job, and doing it well!
This I can say: Exxon Mobil might not have extensive or impressive consumer relations goals (they definitely are not reaching for the stars here…) but they do have loyal customers. My best assumption for this, would be brand loyalty (Ahh! Brand image and customer relations come together in one perfect circle.); brand loyalty to a massive corporation with a well-known name and a powerful business sense (whether people agree with it/like it, or not). This brand image and company reputation the PR staff at Exxon Mobil has established over years and years shows stability and distinguished practices to customers. And those customers, Chadwick Medleson Jr. for sure, will keep coming back to Mobil stations like stink to poop.
Think about it though…we are not headed to Aruba if this Global Warming stuff persists (http://www.squidoo.com/Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions/). We are eventually headed for nothing good at all.
And on an entirely unrelated, yet still important note, check out this site for the U.K. Guardian about how biofuels might actually end up hurting us: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2043724,00.html. Crazy I say. But, still very much worth reading!
Ultimately, Exxon Mobil’s PR staff does a knock up job projecting its brand to the entire world if one simply peruses the company’s Web site: www.exxonmobil.com. They work hard for everyone to know who/what Exxon Mobil is, that the company is there, and hey, they are lookin’ good (on the site)!
On the other hand, Exxon Mobil’s customer relations are a little less extensive. I know for a fact, that my father will buy gasoline from nowhere other than Mobil. Why? Sadly, I forget, but if anything, this means…say it with me: customer loyalty! Yay! This is any corporations’ bread and butter. Those people, such as Chadwick Medleson Jr., are coming back to their place of service time and time again without fail. My father would drive past four other gas stations to get to a Mobil! And might I add those four others stations were not only closer (save some gas dad…), but they were CHEAPER!!! Gahh, I’m getting frustrated.
Please see this link to the Exxon Mobil Web site: http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/about_operations_sbc_customer.aspx
Here you will find a very (repeat, very) short guideline for consumer relations. Hey, while we are considering Exxon Mobil gas stations as the company’s customer (they are included in the above guidelines), word on the street is that Exxon forcibly controls each station franchise to the point of strangulation. Remember from one of my first posts, I said often times people simply find Exxon Mobil’s business practices immoral? This is exactly where my point comes in. It has been reported by differing sources (yet I’m sure unreliably liberal sources…ok, ok, it was my best friend Keith. But he reads the newspaper a lot! Ok, I’m embarrassing myself.), that Exxon Mobil will not allow the sale of eco-friendly ethanol or bio-diesel to occur beyond a small amount per month (these fuels are much more difficult and expensive to attain and not as profitable as fossil fuels as the majority of drivers in the U.S. still do not have vehicles adapted to such new fuel technologies). After scouring the Internet, I found no evidence of this claim. Yet, if those Exxon Mobil PR people are getting paid as much as I think they are, then there wouldn’t be any evidence. That means they are doing their job, and doing it well!
This I can say: Exxon Mobil might not have extensive or impressive consumer relations goals (they definitely are not reaching for the stars here…) but they do have loyal customers. My best assumption for this, would be brand loyalty (Ahh! Brand image and customer relations come together in one perfect circle.); brand loyalty to a massive corporation with a well-known name and a powerful business sense (whether people agree with it/like it, or not). This brand image and company reputation the PR staff at Exxon Mobil has established over years and years shows stability and distinguished practices to customers. And those customers, Chadwick Medleson Jr. for sure, will keep coming back to Mobil stations like stink to poop.
My pretend version of the PR people at Exxon...wow, those are nice suits.
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