Starting today, Rompetrol, Romania's largest private oil group, is changing its "look" and the strategy aimed at the oil products distribution market. The company's rebranding process, worth some $1 million, entails the shift from the group's traditional image depicting three oil pipelines to a stylised flower, a cleaner image, more atoned to the group's new manner of selling fuels through its own gas stations, where only Euro gasoline and diesel oil will be available. Consequently, the group's slogan was also changed, to "Euro standards for Ro prices."
To implement this programme, the company chose an ad created by the D'Arcy agency. The rather "playful" ad is the kind of advertising that inevitably stirs controversy on the Romanian market, just like the Ziarul Financiar ad did. But this is the company's choice and it was one of the main reasons behind the Rompetrol - D'Arcy partnership. Seven advertising agencies officially entered the selection organised by Rompetrol in April, but only five actually presented offers, says Iolanda Staniloiu, the group's vice-president of communication. The set of services is complex, including product campaigns or brand promotion. Some gas stations will continue to exhibit the old logo, because change will be done gradually, Iolanda Staniloiu added.
According to Rompetrol chairman Dinu Patriciu, the group aims to become Romania's largest supplier of high-quality oil products. All Romanian suppliers of fuels will have to shift to the Euro standards in 2005 anyway. This move entails investments worth $100 million that Rompetrol must pump into its two refineries, Petromidia and Vega. Petromidia is now processing 3.8 million tonnes, according to Eric Kish, head of the refining division, up from one million tonnes in 2001, when it was bought by Rompetrol. Rompetrol supplied 17,000 tonnes of oil products to the local market in 2001, but has now come to 85,000 tonnes and intends to increase this quantity by 15% by yearend. Rompetrol customers are OMV, the company that last year acquired 25% in the group, Shell, MOL and Agip.
The group's gas station network will increase by 50 units this year, said John Long, head of Rompetrol Downstream. Rompetrol's own stations will be joined by 120 franchised units. These gas stations provide new services for the Romanian market, such as dog grooming, but also the Rompetrol card (in the next two months). dorin.oancea@zf.ro
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