A new burst of energy

It has been operating in India for over two decades, but BP, the British energy major, launched and ran a focused brand campaign here only recently.

Why the image-building now? What has changed since it started its journey into the country? Was it a build-up to an IPO, as is the case with most of the companies? Or is BP planning to venture into the petroleum retail business?

A BP official brushed aside any speculation on plans to tap the Indian capital market or enter the retail business. “This corporate advertising is an offshoot of our global brand campaign. This is a standard activity in all key markets we operate in. The Indian campaign was part of this worldwide engagement.”

Though BP through its master brand Castrol has spoken to Indian audiences for years and maintained a strong focus on the Indian oil market through its London- and Singapore-based trading teams – trading crude oil, bulk chemicals and petroleum products -- it was in 2011 that it brought one of the largest foreign direct investments in the oil and gas space into the country.

BP acquired 30 per cent stake in Reliance Industries’ 21 oil and gas blocks including the premium D6 asset for $7.2 billion and the formation of a 50:50 joint venture to source and market gas in India – India Gas Solutions Ltd.

More recently, BP and Indian Oil Corporation reached an agreement to set up a 50:50 joint venture for one million tonne per annum acetic acid plant in Gujarat.

In support of BP’s agenda of simplification, standardisation and corporate efficiency, BP also continues to invest significantly in India by outsourcing activities for its global information technology, finance and procurement functions.

A BP official says that with such huge investments it was time to make the Indian audience aware of brand BP, and that they decided to reiterate the company’s intent to partner with India in securing a better energy future for it.

So began the profile-building exercise. This ‘image advertising’ is part of the BP Group’s global strategy to increase the brand value in six countries – India, China, the UK, the US, Brazil and Germany.

The world of advertising defines ‘image advertising’ as something done mainly to enhance an organisation's perceived importance to a target market. It does not focus on specific products, but showcases what an organisation has to offer.

For instance, the BP advertisement talked about the group’s presence in India stating that “There is energy in this partnership.” It showcased the three main areas – oil including lubricants, natural gas, petrochemicals and the overarching attribute of energy efficiency. The icons of its global business are displayed later – oil, natural gas, wind, bio fuels, and efficiency. The visual imagery is simple, typical of all BP campaigns. The advertisement campaign is led by Ogilvy & Mather globally.

Such advertisements are often used when an organisation needs to educate the targeted audience on some issue, industry observers note. BP had never done anything like this before in India because till now it never projected its own identity of the BP brand. What stands out is “the pun on the word energy”.

“Our campaign aimed to bring the BP values to life in India – it reinforces our deep and long-term commitment to the country and its quest for energy security,” said Anshul Mathur, Vice-President (Communication & External Affairs), BP India.

“Our messaging “BP in India … there is energy in this partnership”, resonates with the energy we are bringing through our people, capability, and advantaged technologies, all with the objective of making our country more competitive,” he added.

The campaign was introduced in Mumbai and Delhi. “There has been a spillover of the campaign to other centres as well,” he said. The campaign was on air, in print and on hoardings.

But, how does an energy company connect with a four-year-old as well as an 80-year-old? Mathur says, “We adapted our global brand campaign to engage with our audiences locally. We believe the existing, simple visual imagery of the energy icons together with the ‘Rangoli’ theme will appeal to all age groups.”

With an investment of over $8 billion and employing over 8,500 people in the oil, gas, lubricants and petrochemicals businesses, BP today has the largest international energy company presence in India.

“Our footprint in India includes oil, natural gas, lubricants and petrochemicals. With our investments of Rs 40,000 crore we are the largest international energy company in India and the advertisement campaign was a reaffirmation of our deep commitment to India,” sums up Mathur.