Exxon Strikes Out

In PR circles, Exxon has always been something of the “crazy aunt in the basement that no one talks about” as Ross Perot would say. Exxon is arguably one of the worst received brands in America, and they have historically refused to invest any real resources in PR or reputation building. Their attitude has always been one of, "the only PR we need is good returns for our shareholders." And provide returns they certainly do, recently posting the largest corporate profits in US history.

How poorly do people perceive the brand? Well, at a recent Washington Nationals Game I attended, they did one of those silly little quizzes between innings. The person, of course, answered the lame question correctly and as a prize, everyone in the section received a $25 Exxon gas card.

If you think fans living in an era of $4 gas would be appreciative, think again. The jumbotron (the most awesome one in MLB, btw) clearly showed several people glancing at the gas cards and tossing them away, and more than a few boos were heard from the crowd. This company can’t even give away $25!!

Exxon has been making a PR push in the DC area lately. Probably because, despite the little regard as they have for public brand perception, they feel the need the need to build some goodwill among the power brokers.

If there is any positive lesson to be learned for flacks and marketers, it is that Exxon is showing that building a brand’s reputation cannot be done as a one-off measure. You can’t turn it on and off like the lights at Nationals Park (which is rumored to soon become Exxon Nationals Park).

Exxon's dabbling with brand building in DC have not started off well.

For the time being, they will just have to be happy counting their billions.