BP: Focuses its energy into one powerbrand

A use of identity, by a leader

New: The green-yellow flower sun, and 19,000 redesigned stations worldwide

Launched: July 25, 2000 (in the Wall Street Journal)

Story in brief:
The historic merger of British Petroleum and Amoco (formerly Standard Oil Indiana) took effect Dec. 31, 1998, as “BP Amoco.” But you won’t find a BP Amoco logo; as some American employees joked at the time, “The Amoco is silent.”

Early on, group chief executive John Browne decided that perpetuating two names would be a poor foundation for a global power brand. Confident, indeed courageous thinking -- but you look stupid if you don't execute it well. Another goal would be to lose the “P” heritage, as in Petroleum.

To quote Sir John, at the time of launch: "For us the fundamental values of the company are about innovation and creativity ... about being environment- ally creative and green ... about being progressive - looking always for improvement and positive change ... and about a constant drive for performance. Replacing the Shield was not an easy decision. We see the opportunity to represent the company in a compelling, modern way as part of good business in a fast changing world."

Landor Associates was retained to reposition this giant firm and to rebrand its thousands of retail locations.

Credits:
C.E.O. - Sir John Browne
Identity design - Landor Associates

First Impressions:
Outstanding. A strategy so bold deserved exciting execution and got it. BP’s distinctive green-yellow colors survived, transformed into a flowery burst of sun and earth and energy. It’s a brilliant platform for promises of lower emissions, solar power, and the tagline “Beyond Petroleum.”