A Shell of My Former Oil Baron
I love catchy titles. Especially ones with allusion to other blogs. Man, that English degree is paying off.
Admittedly, I’m a little late to the party with this post, concerning Shell’s 50 city tour across America. But I wanted to let it marinate.
The purpose of this tour: To let the big wigs at Shell explain to me that it’s not Shell’s fault I’m getting killed at the pumps.
My reaction: I don’t care. I want blood.
Most people feel a sense of brand loyalty for certain products. Building that loyalty is part of the PR game. But is oil one of those products? I have never heard the following conversation:
“Hey, let’s get some gas. Pull over to that BP.”
“Naw homey, I strictly roll with Shell. BP is lame.”
In a highly unscientific straw poll I took of my friends and family, not one of them felt any sense of loyalty to a gas company. One of my more eloquent friends put it oh so poetically: “I’m a cheap [expletive]. I go where the gas is cheap.” We don’t want a brand, we want cheap.
This tour seems a bit silly and mostly hollow. Does Shell think it will appease people by sending out the fat cats to explain why gas is so expensive? That’s not what people want to hear. Don’t put up some rich old dudes in front of hard working people to explain it isn’t big oil’s fault. Truth isn’t winning this one, emotion is.
Do they think they will gain a more favorable image by presenting themselves before an angry mass as a punching bag? Sure they do. Oh such gracious executives, allowing us to hurl insults and obscenity at them. Thank you for the cathartic experience.
To communicate transparency is an honorable goal. I do want to know why exactly gas prices are how they are. But I don’t trust Shell explaining it. Will most people? From a communications perspective, this seems insincere. Perhaps parading some regular joes who work for Shell would have a better effect. Educate some everyday employees and send them out there to dance.
Is Shell doing more harm than good here? How can Shell present a more authentic front? With transparency being the hot topic right now, can an oil company be seen as honest? Let’s take another unscientific straw poll.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to hit the coinstar and turn some change into cash. I’m on empty.