Measuring Marketplace Results: the “Come to Shell for Answers” Campaign

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Northrop Grumman Mission Systems

12011 Sunset Hills Road

Reston, Virginia 20190-3285

Phone (703) 968-1000

May 9, 2007

Students in BUS 531

Strayer University

13385 Minnieville road

Woodbridge, VA 22192

Topic: Measuring Marketplace results: The “come to shell for Answers” campaign

Dear Students:

I just recently returned from a National Plain English conference, at the U.S. Department of commerce in Washington D.C. There I met Mr. Joseph C. Jones, Jr. Manager, of Corporate Advertising, at Shell Oil Company. Mr. Jones discussed his success in using plain English at his firm, through the “Come to shell for Answers” campaign. In1973 gasoline shortages created a hostile public for oil companies. To improve it’s image, Shell Oil Company tried several institutional advertising campaigns. These efforts failed. However, when shell delivered useful consumer information in plain English, it was a different story.

Shell developed its “Come to shell for Answers” Corporate Advertising campaign to respond to the market conditions and public attitudes towards oil companies in the mid-1970s. Shell and other oil companies faced a very hostile American public following the 1973-oil embargo. Motorists were forced to wait in line for gasoline, a product they had once taken for granted. This caused gasoline prices to increase, along with Oil Company profits.

A survey of public opinion in 1974 showed just how bad the situation had become.

• 62 percent believed that oil companies had deliberately held back supplies in order to raise prices.

• 68 percent believed that oil companies were not taking steps to relieve the energy shortage.

• 98 percent believed that oil companies were not the best in their ethical, and moral attitudes

How Shell’s corporate advertising evolved

Shell made several attempts at communicating with the public through advertising before finding a way that worked. The first campaign attempted to explain the...