Branding is that nefarious practice marketing gurus drool
over. It’s kind of like star quality. More than just name recognition, branding
goes a step further — the car says you’re cool, the shoes say you’re sexy, or
the champagne says you can afford it.
At a time when millions of Americans are seething about high
gas prices and those obscene profits the big oil companies are posting without
so much as a smidgen of humility, one company is side-stepping the whole drama
and turning the nation’s anxiety into wishful thinking.
Sunoco, one of the East Coast’s biggest gas retail outlets,
has combined its NASCAR sponsorship with a promotion called “Free Fuel 5000.”
The next time you’re at a Sunoco station, pick up one of the magnets and slap
it on your car next to the obligatory patriotic ribbon. Sunoco has hired what
they call “professional spotters,” and if one of these folks sees you with one,
you have a chance to win one of 5,000 prizes the company is giving away. The
grand prize — are you ready? — is 10,000 gallons of free Sunoco gas. Forget
about the all-expense-paid four nights in Vegas. If you still haven’t recovered
from $50 to $100 for a tank of gas, this is a prize you could use.
That explains why you’ve probably seen the blue and yellow
Sunoco magnets everywhere. It’s hard to drive a block or two without seeing one
on the trunk of someone’s car. And there’s no doubt about the company. The logo
is so identifiable even sight-disadvantaged Mr. Magoo
could spot these guys.
“This is the second year for the program, but it is the
first time we tried it in the Rochester
market,” says Charlie Vlais, Sunoco’s manager of
marketing services. “We tested it last year in the Buffalo market and it was a huge success.”
Paul Marone, owner of East Avenue
Auto, says his station alone has given out nearly 6,000 of the magnets.
Sunoco defines success, according to Valis,
by how much more gas they sell in the market. And he says the promotion has
helped Sunoco keep its No. 1 position in Pennsylvania
and elevated it to the No. 2 retailer in New
York. Valis says bout a half-dozen Rochester
car owners have been spotted for small prizes, but the grand prize is still out
there.
This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2006.
