This summer Gulf Oil L.P, Framingham, Mass., is offering several promotions to thank drivers, as well as to support its network of gasoline retail centers.
The company is also branching into online and social media tools, such as Facebook,to reach a new audience as it continues its growth.
The first promotion, “Making Green Miles,” is a social networking program that offers customers a forum to go online and share ideas about what they do to offset their carbon footprint. For every “Green Mile” entry received at www.gulfoil.com/makinggreenmiles/, Gulf will plant three trees, with the help of American Forests. Planting three trees offsets the carbon footprint associated with one fill-up of gasoline for an average car.
In August, the 10 entries that are most popular with online visitors will be entered into a random drawing, and one of these entries will be chosen as the grand prize winner of a $250 Gulf Gas Card and have 250 trees planted in his or her name.
As part of the program, the “Mile Makers” team will have a presence on Facebook, so that visitors can learn about the team’s appearance at upcoming public events, concerts and grand openings. The “Mile Makers” team is a group of summer interns that conduct outreach to the public during the summer. They encourage drivers to Make Green Miles, as they distribute promotional items such as recycled Frisbees, reusable shopping bags, water bottles, and eco-friendly driving tip magnets.
Gulf is also continuing its “Get Spotted” promotion, which began in July 2008. Drivers that place a Gulf decal-available at Gulf stationsz-on their car and register at www.gulfoil.com/getspotted are eligible to win a $20 Gulf gas card if “spotted” by a member of the promotion staff. Drivers also are entered into a pool for a monthly drawing of a $500 Gulf gas card. Since the promotion began, 400,000 decals have made their way into the marketplace, and Gulf has given out thousands of dollars in gas cards.
Finally, Gulf is promoting its Commercial Fleet Card with no fees for 2009.Gulf sites participating in the program will receive signage and Fleet Card applications in July. The promotion will run from July 15 through the end of 2009.
“We know there are many choices when buying gas,” said Rick Dery, Gulf Oil’s senior vice president of branded marketing and sales and chief marketing officer. “These programs are designed to bring our 100+ years of name recognition and brand awareness to a new generation of drivers and ultimately build business for our retail outlet partners.”