Should BP rebrand itself?
BP has lots of self-inflicted wounds from the Gulf oil disaster.
As it tries to repair its tarnished reputation, should it change the name of its gas stations?
Associated Press is reporting that BP station owners across the country are divided over whether the oil giant should rebrand U.S. outlets as Amoco or another name.
Some who have seen their sales plunge say BP has already sought a fresh start by naming an American to replace its gaffe-prone British CEO, AP writes. So why not change the name on gas stations 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, AP reports.
What do you think? Should BP try to get a fresh start with a new name? Will it do any good? Will it make any difference to you?
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104 comments Add your comment
Richard
July 30th, 2010
11:47 am
transocean was ordered by BP to continue drilling.
DawgDad
July 30th, 2010
11:48 am
The BP store owners made their own bed. If they want my business they’ll tell the parent company to cut out the insulting marketing. Until then, I’m exercising my freedom to choose.
Chaka
July 30th, 2010
11:53 am
I will continue to buy gas at BP or Ammoco because they have the best refined gas. I certainly won’t go to Citgo because that’s Venezuelan gas ………. and we all know where that’s from ………….don’t we?
hdhd
July 30th, 2010
11:54 am
I don’t buy from BP. I buy from the nice Indian gentleman that owns the store. Give him a break, he is just trying to make an honest living.
DawgDad
July 30th, 2010
11:55 am
. . . and, I haven’t purchased gas from Citgo since Chavez took over. Now, I’m not stupid. I know the Venezuelan gas gets sold on the open/spot market and winds up in my tank anyway. Can’t control that, but I control what I can.
Kathleen
July 30th, 2010
12:05 pm
Transocean owned and operated the rig. BP owns the “oil rights” through their lease agreement with the federal government. So that’s why it’s BP’s spill to clean up – it’s their oil. Also, BP does not own or operate any of the gas stations. They are all franchises – BO gets x% of profit from the gas sales. But the rest of the retail inside the station is all local small business owners – so boycotts hurt the franchise owners the most.
Paul
July 30th, 2010
12:05 pm
I will not buy BP because of all the lies and problems they were trying to hide from the Government. Change the name to what ever you want, (We know it’s still BP) and we will not buy anything associated with you.
The only way they will get “some” people to come back is drop all their gas prices by 15% or more and you will get the crowd that are easily bought out.
Artie
July 30th, 2010
12:12 pm
It’s like polishing a TURD!!!!!
jarvis
July 30th, 2010
12:15 pm
Paul you better stop buying everyone’s gas then because BP is one of the largetst refiners in the world. They are making a buck off of everyone’s gas.
jarvis
July 30th, 2010
12:20 pm
DawgDad, how exactly did they make their own bed? You think gas station owners should look into the prepiatary procedures and deep water drilling habits of the parent company of their wholesaler?
That’s like saying a McDonalds franshiser should know where the soda water comes from in their Coke fountains.
That’s not, nor should it be, their focus.
skegee51
July 30th, 2010
12:31 pm
NO I WOULD NOT!!! BECAUSE OF ALL THE STATIONS I SEE THEIR GAS IS STILL THE HIGHEST PRICE GAS IN TOWN.THE CONTENTS INSIDE ARE ALSO THE HIGHEST IN TOWN.THE REBATES SODA AND CHIPS GIVE THESE STORES GO TOWARD THEIR OWN BOTTOM LINES…PLUS THOSE TOWEL HEADS DO NOT PAY ANY TAXES OF THE PRODUCTS THEY SALE……SO WHAT DUMB-BUTT WOULD DO THIS??
skegee51
July 30th, 2010
12:36 pm
KATHLEEN- THINKS WE ARE DUMB…..BP DO OWN THE BUILDING AND PUMPS,THEY CHARGE THE GAS PRICES ON THE PUMP.YOU DO LEAST THE BUSINESS,BUT THAT IS WHY THE FOOD,DRINKS,CHIPS ARE SO HIGH.THEY HAVE NO CONTROL OF THE GAS PRICING….NOW IF YOU OPEN JOE BLOW’S DISCOUNT GAS AND CAN AFFORD THE GAS YOU CAN CHARGE ANY AMOUNT YOU WANT….DON’T PLAY US DUMB KATHLEEN
kjdgf
July 30th, 2010
12:48 pm
to answer the question, ask yourself if you continued to buy citgo gas when retailers changed the name on their pumps
who cares
July 30th, 2010
12:49 pm
Wish we had marathon gas stations here. I thought Chevron bought Gulf and BP bought Arco. Yes BP is higher b/c of the additives. Works out to be less than a bottle of STP. Boycott CTIGO.
Shambolee
July 30th, 2010
12:51 pm
skegee51 You are about as dumb as Dawgdad…BP does not own the building and the pumps…they sold all of their properties in Georgia, and almost almost all other states…get your facts straight before posting in capital letters
DJ Superstar
July 30th, 2010
12:52 pm
All of you saying you will not buy BP gas, or won’t go to a BP gas station or that the owner change their affiliation to some other gas company – You are all idiots.
First of all, BP doesn’t make money by just selling gas. Some gas stations are BP owned and operated, but the majority of they are independent owners who have a long (10-20 years) of contract o buy gas from BP, set a price and sell it. All of you saying “change the affiliation” even know how much money the small independent business owner would have to pay to get out of that contract?
And all others who will not buy from BP, it’s a drop in the ocean for BP. To fight this, ask for technology that is not dependent on fossil fuel.
Oh, and one last thing, gas is not the only by-product of oil. You will be surprised how many things you would miss if there wasn’t any oil.
ed
July 30th, 2010
12:52 pm
What’s in a name? If it’s the correct octane I don’t care what brand it is. I don’t have any relatives in the oil business. If I did I’d try to persuade them to sell it for what it’s worth, and that’s a lot less than the current price. Left up to the oil companies,the government, and auto manufacturers we’ll all be walking or riding mass transit soon anyway. The days of having freedom of choice about anything are numbered.
DawgDad
July 30th, 2010
12:54 pm
jarvis: BP store owners “made their own bed” because they chose of their own free will to sign the franchise contracts. What is happening to them is a business risk gone bad. Same with Citgo franchise owners. Do I feel for them? In a way, yes, but this is a free country – they are free to sell out and move on to something else if they can’t stand the heat in the kitchen.
I used to work for a chemical distributor of Dow Corning products. Dow Corning’s product liability problems were not our fault, but we sure absorbed some of the blow. That’s business risk.
DawgDad
July 30th, 2010
12:57 pm
Ed: “The days of having freedom of choice about anything are numbered.” Only if we are too soft to fight for the freedoms we were provided.
Thinking Right
July 30th, 2010
1:01 pm
Who really gets hurt if you stop buying products at BP, the executives, or the minimum wage earner behind the counter? If BP were to shut down, the folks responsible would just move on to another high paying position with someone else, but the cashier is out of work, and will have to find work with someone else. By the way, unemployment is around 10%.
Who's There?
July 30th, 2010
1:06 pm
Since I’m legally blind, I just pull into the first station I come up to – I never know which brand I’m buying since I can’t see.
aw
July 30th, 2010
1:07 pm
DawgDad are you going to buy gas from QT, Kroger, Walmart, Costco? BP sells them gas too!
Harlanway
July 30th, 2010
1:22 pm
DawDad: So now that the spill seems to have disappeared; now that it is starting to appear that the Coast Guard and the other fire fighters actually caused the spill by sinking the rig, and now that we aren’t finding millions of dead birds and animals are you still on your silly boycott binge?
Dt1845
July 30th, 2010
1:23 pm
First off let me say, I am an avid scuba diver, not many people care more about the ocean than I do. Those of you who won’t buy BP gas act like this is something they wanted to happen. It’s costing them billions, they are more upset about it than you are. If we all quit buying BP gas they’ll run out of money and won’t be able to continue their clean up efforts. Also, each gas station is independently owned, mostly by fellow Americans, you are punishing them for an accident they did not cause. Narrow minded, just like the folks who elected the community organizer to run the country, can’t see past your emotions to get to the bigger picture.
shaggy
July 30th, 2010
1:26 pm
Build cars that runs on fart gas, so all of the dimwits who think boycotting BP changes anything can stick a garden hose up their a&& when they drive anywhere. These are the same morons that have no feakin idea just how much we depend on petroleum. Question for the dullards: Did you boycott Exxon after Valdez? Well, somebody DIDN’T, because they are the biggest company in the universe. Sheesh, the clowns never learn, and they can vote.
Scout
July 30th, 2010
1:33 pm
No ! BP stands for “Big Plug” !
It's Obama's Fault
July 30th, 2010
1:34 pm
Obama did it. If everything else was Bush’s fault, then Obama can take the heat for this one.
Oil & Gas
July 30th, 2010
1:43 pm
In these hard economic times I’ll buy gas from the devil himself if he’s selling a quality product for a good price!
Believe me a boycott will NOT hurt BP because they operate in other parts of the oil & gas sector such as midstream operations where it is insanely profitable!!!!
DawgDad
July 30th, 2010
1:43 pm
Harlanway: Yes. In my original post I stated I’ve been “shunning” BP since long before the spill because I find their TV advertising blatantly insulting of my intelligence. It’s pure fascist social-responsibility propaganda, and I don’t buy it.
As for hurting the “little guy”, well, I owe them nothing and I’m free to shop where I choose. They owe me nothing. This is a free country, not Venezuela, at least for the time being.
Quite frankly, this being a business-oriented blog, I’m appalled by the lack of respect displayed by posters for free-market consumer choice and for the apparent lack of understanding of business risk. People have called me “dumb”; I’m an honors graduate with an MBA from a well-respected large private university. Far too many socialists in the house for my taste.
hello. there idiot
July 30th, 2010
1:44 pm
If the executives don’t care about the station owners – why should we? In all honesty, you could care less about them. I bet you even make ethnic jokes about them – admit it.
Voice of Reason
July 30th, 2010
1:54 pm
You people should really research things before you start rambling. The gasoline for this area comes into a pipeline in Doraville….all the major gas station chains send the trucks there to fill up. They add their additives for their brands in each tanker and send them off to their gas stations. The gas all comes from the same place….
MICHAEL
July 30th, 2010
2:02 pm
WHO CARES? WE ARE ALL PIGS AND THIS PARTICULAR CULTURE, IF YOU DARE TO CALL IT A CULTURE, IS NOTHING MORE THAN A NOSE DIVE TO HELL. WE ALL LIE AND CHEAT BECAUSE WE ALL BELIEVE THERE ARE GREENER PASTURES. LOOK BEHIND YOU CHUM AND SEE WHAT BEAUTY WAS LEFT BEHIND.
Andre
July 30th, 2010
2:04 pm
**How many of yall boycotted Exxon?** *Crickets* Thank you.
mrdonut
July 30th, 2010
2:09 pm
Never have, never will, buy BP.
HDS
July 30th, 2010
2:23 pm
Phhh…change your name all ya like, we will still know its you. Also Castrol as well.
Ricky
July 30th, 2010
2:30 pm
I must admit, seeing their name on the marquee always give me a one second pause. However they have been consistent with their stations, service and the like so I will continue to support the brand. Changing the brand will only cause me to use an alternative brand like QT or Racetrack. If they continue to try and clean up their mess, the turn around will be positive and the brand will survive.
Dave Swanson
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
They should never have changed the name to begin with! Amoco had the highest consumer loyality of any gasoline brand. BP uses the ARCO brand in the western US and Aral in Germany so why not brand the midwest and eastern US operation as Amoco.
Good Business Move
July 30th, 2010
3:04 pm
That’s a good business move and should help the BP company’s recovery after their corporate name has been tied to a highly publicized disaster.
Hugo Chavez changed the name of his Citgo stations in the U.S. …. but that was to hide the fact that he was the owner, and his stations were being boycotted in the America due to his radical politics in Venezuela and unpopularity in the U.S. and the world.
G Reon
July 30th, 2010
3:13 pm
BP needs to be ran out of business, no selling, no hostile take over and nothing else. Flat straight up ran out of business. Any other oil companies that are drilling without sound safety precautions need to be held accountable now and forced to put sound safety measures in place!
b
July 30th, 2010
3:30 pm
Either way, if you don’t buy BP gas then there will be no money left to clean up the spill. At least wait until the clean up is done before you boycott!
AtlantaNative62
July 30th, 2010
3:32 pm
How about taking the money that would be spent on changing all the signs (and for other rebranding costs) and using it to clean up the mess and help the families that were genuinely hurt by the disaster.
Mike
July 30th, 2010
3:56 pm
I haven’t bought Exxon since Valdez. I won’t buy BP. If they change to Amoco, I won’t buy that. I don’t buy Citgo (Hugo Chavez Oil Company). I am investigating the cost of riding a horse to work.
Steve0
July 30th, 2010
3:56 pm
Oil is a fungible commodity. If you buy gas, you buy BP. It doesn’ t matter what the sign says.
Rick
July 30th, 2010
4:10 pm
BP doesn’t own any retail stores.
They make the big money from drilling and refining. At retail they collect franchise fees.
If you don’t buy their gas it will put some local people out of work and BP will sell the gas at Shell stations, at RaceTrac, at Exxon or where ever. At retail, it’s all the same gas.
Pedestrian
July 30th, 2010
4:14 pm
What a lot of people don’t know is that the gasoline made from the crude pumped by BP out of the Gulf or other BP drilling sites could be sold at any gas station in the US. In addition you could be buying gas from BP wells at Chevron, Shell or many other gas stations. the best way to tell BP you don’t like what they are doing is to buy and use less gasoline. In Montgomery to battle segregation on the bus system the people did not boycott GM or Blue Bird or whoever was manufacturing the buses they stopped riding the buses.
Tired of the BS
July 30th, 2010
4:31 pm
If other BP regional gas suppliers are like the ones in GA, then it won’t make a difference what their name is. Our local BP gas supplier doesn’t just provide gas to BP stations. It also provides gas to OneStop, Quick Change, and many other independent (usually Patel owned) stations. I know of at least 32 local stations that don’t carry the BP sign or affiliation that get ALL of their gas supply from BP. So no matter what name they choose to use, it will still be BP.
While I agree that we shouldn’t be “hurting” our local stations just because they are affiliated with BP, it would stand to reason that they too have a choice. At this point in the game, I seriously doubt they would put up too big a fight if the local stations wanted out of their franchise leases. But then again, we are talking about BIG OIL.
The new American face of BP is nothing more than a political about face. Bait and switch. We Americans are infamous for selling ourselves out to others. We feel “used” and “exploited” when someone else does it, but its just a crying shame when we let one of our own countrymen do it to us. Get ready folks, its just beginning.
BP may not be the sole blame-bearer of the Gulf “accident”, but we as a nation haven’t held anyone else to account for it either. Shame on us!!
DawgDad
July 30th, 2010
6:00 pm
I’ll make one final comment in support of free consumer choice:
The station owners hang out the BP sign for a reason – Because they believe it has marketing value and will help attract customers. In other words, they profit from good will created largely by others. So, when the BP name is besmirched they deservedly take some of the hit. This is how business operates in a free market society. If you don’t approve, I quite frankly have no use for you and hope to heck you don’t vote.
Living in the real world
July 30th, 2010
6:19 pm
B.P supplies gas to the majority of stations , even Race Trac and Quick Trip
irishmafia
July 30th, 2010
7:00 pm
Let’s call it Obamafuel since his aim is to control all the industries in the USA and hence all it’s citizens
HRPufnstuf
July 30th, 2010
8:03 pm
Sure, change it back to what it used to be: GULF OIL.
Ahahahahahahahahaha!