Phoenix Petroleum Philippines asked other companies to continue marketing and brand building efforts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This crisis serves as an eyeopener to the role of brand and marketing in business resiliency,” Celina Matias, assistant vice president and head of integrated marketing and strategies of Phoenix, said in a statement.
Matias said a large part of marketing program today and in the future would happen in the digital arena.
The Phoenix official said that unlike other companies whose instinct is to cut marketing when the pandemic kicked in, Phoenix would move ahead with its programs.
“Companies should resist the instinct to forego brand building when finances run tight, which is based on the thinking that marketing is not an essential expense. The truth is that a brand’s resiliency should be put on full display precisely during times of crisis,” said Matias.
“Consumers as well as the general public will remember brands that were with them in difficult times. When the dust settles, they will gravitate toward the familiar, the tried-and-tested, and the true. Sustaining and fortifying brand equity when the going gets tough is the mission that any company worth its salt should take to heart,” she said.
Phoenix responded to the business challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with a swift rollout of its digital transformation plans as part of its aggressive marketing strategy.
Phoenix fortified its online sales channels such as the delivery ordering portal on the Phoenix SUPER LPG website as part of its digital transformation in its operations.
The company also pioneered contactless payment solutions in the industry starting with 100 of its fuel retail stations in Luzon, with those in Visayas and Mindanao to follow.
Phoenix is the only gasoline station that accepts four e-payment merchants—GCash, Alipay, Grab Pay and WeChat. These digital solution are all geared toward ensuring the safety and welfare of Phoenix’s customers.
Phoenix also put greater emphasis on digital communications by intensifying their presence on social media and coming up with compelling content to keep their respective followings steadily growing.
Phoenix’s young drivers program, which is an annual search for new Filipino race car driving talent, transformed into an e-sports virtual charity race during the community quarantine.
The virtual race is a competition geared toward online race gaming enthusiasts in collaboration with long-time partner Tuason Racing.
Phoenix also continued its corporate responsibility programs by donating FamilyMart food packs to medical frontliners for every participant who registered in the race series. A total of 1,300 food packs were distributed to various hospitals in Metro Manila.
