Phillips 66 to Roll Out New Brand Images

HOUSTON — Few in the convenience store/petroleum industry are not familiar with the three brands housed under the Phillips 66 umbrella: Conoco, 76 and its eponymous banner.

But with a goal to provide an even better experience for its customers, Phillips 66 decided in 2013 to implement Experience 66, an effort that focuses on operational excellence and site quality at the 7,100 branded independent sites throughout the country that operate under its three banners.

"We really wanted to take a look at our brands and focus on our [branded experience], as well as consumers. We really wanted to demonstrate the commitment we have to our brands," said Jared Robinson, manager of brands and sales improvement for Houston-based Phillips 66.

As part of Experience 66, the oil company determined it was time for a change regarding its Phillips 66 and 76 images. Conoco would maintain its popular Oasis image.

"Before, if you looked at a Phillips 66 or 76 site, they looked exactly the same with the exception of the brand logo. We wanted to change that up. We really felt by changing the brand images and making them more distinctive, we'd add value to each individually," said Robinson.

To improve the brand images, Phillips 66 enlisted the help of another company with a Houston presence, LSI Industries Inc., a full-service provider of lighting, graphics and technology to the petroleum market.

"Phillips 66 has tremendous passion for this project," said Robin Hood, executive vice president at LSI. "The ultimate goal was to provide a great site environment for its branded marketers that attracts and maintains the drive-up customer — and that’s what we’re built to do.”

The result has been a new Phillips 66 Shield image and 76 Wave image, which debuted as a test late in 2014 across the country, but primarily in the St. Louis, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle markets. This test continued in the first half of 2015, and a full-scale rollout of these new images is expected to commence shortly, Robinson revealed to CSNews Online.

In total, 130 branded independent retailers already sport the new Shield or Wave images, with an additional 500-plus sites expected to join in by the end of this calendar year.

The Shield image will retain the iconic Phillips 66 logo. What will change is that the logo will break out of the traditional box format in layout. The Shield image's clean lines take cues from Main Street America.

The Wave image returns to the legacy color palette of orange and blue, and goes back to its roots with a heritage 76 ball. Rooted in West Coast culture, the new Wave image also features a bright wave rolling across the canopy.

Making both new images even more impactful is LED lighting used throughout, also provided by LSI. In addition to illuminating the undercanopy, LED lighting is featured in other forecourt locations such as the canopy graphics, pump valance and LED price signs, according to Robinson.

LED lighting especially stands out at night, and is meant to make consumers feel more safe, while reducing electricity costs for gas station operators.

"We wanted to have the optimal effect for what we are trying to achieve," explained Robinson. "We wanted to bring that idea to life. LSI provided us with a tremendous amount of support. They are great to work with."

Early returns from Phillips 66's branded marketers have been quite positive. "Our retailers have provided a lot of positive feedback about the changes that were made," said Robinson. "The West Coast retailers love the Wave [image]. They love the differentiation of the wave and love the fact that we've gone back to the iconic ball with blue and orange."

Hood added that the Shield and Wave images "are very different in the petroleum marketplace and are truly getting a lot of acclaim."

Also receiving positive accolades is the new Phillips 66 image. "Retailers love that you now see our Phillips 66 sites from a distance," concluded Robinson.