Here’s an interesting tidbit from The Washington Post’s story today on whether BP can rebrand itself following the massive oil spill in the Gulf: apparently
“„Kleine, who calls the station owners “investors” in BP’s brand (their only link with the company is contracts to buy gasoline), said they began facing angry protests after the spill and turned to BP for help. The company gave them signs and took out print and radio advertisements emphasizing that the stations were locally owned and operated. At some stations BP helped the owners do customer appreciation campaigns with free car washes and cups of coffee. Corporate staffers flew in to stand in driveways and listen to customers’ concerns, Kleine said.