Brewing a New Brand
FINDLAY, Ohio -- Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP) is piloting The Procter & Gamble Co.'s "Folgers Cafe" program in several Marathon-branded convenience stores in the Midwest and the Southeast.
Qualifying Marathon-branded stores, which offer best-in-class hot beverages and foodservice, will use the exclusive Folgers Cafe logo on the exterior of the building and mountain-sunrise interior graphics reflecting the Folgers logo and "Wakin' Up" theme. The first group of up to 100 test stores will unveil the Folgers Cafe program this month. A full rollout is targeted for January 2003.
"We firmly believe powerful national brands like Folgers communicate quality and are valued greatly by our consumers," said Mary Ellen Peters, MAP senior vice president, marketing. "As the cornerstone of MAP's Marathon brand marketing strategy to partner with major consumer brands, the Folgers program will greatly enhance the ability of our reseller customers to participate in the growing, high-value, early morning part of the convenience store business."
P&G's strategy has been to provide Folgers to more of consumers away from home, said Chris Hood, P&G's marketing director, commercial business. "This relationship is a win for each partner. P&G's brands and technologies can improve Marathon's offerings, while our consumers will have increased availability of Folgers."
MAP, based here, is the nation's sixth largest refiner, with 935,000 barrels-per-day capacity in its seven-refinery system. Its retail marketing system includes approximately 6,000 locations in 15 states, more than half of which are Marathon branded locations. MAP serves the Midwest and Southeast as a wholesale marketer with 86 light product and asphalt terminals and with access, through lease or ownership interest, to some 8,000 miles of pipeline. MAP is owned 62 percent by Marathon Oil Co. and 38 percent by Ashland Inc.
P&G also markets Pampers, Tide, Always, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Charmin and nearly 300 other brands in more than 160 countries around the world.
Qualifying Marathon-branded stores, which offer best-in-class hot beverages and foodservice, will use the exclusive Folgers Cafe logo on the exterior of the building and mountain-sunrise interior graphics reflecting the Folgers logo and "Wakin' Up" theme. The first group of up to 100 test stores will unveil the Folgers Cafe program this month. A full rollout is targeted for January 2003.
"We firmly believe powerful national brands like Folgers communicate quality and are valued greatly by our consumers," said Mary Ellen Peters, MAP senior vice president, marketing. "As the cornerstone of MAP's Marathon brand marketing strategy to partner with major consumer brands, the Folgers program will greatly enhance the ability of our reseller customers to participate in the growing, high-value, early morning part of the convenience store business."
P&G's strategy has been to provide Folgers to more of consumers away from home, said Chris Hood, P&G's marketing director, commercial business. "This relationship is a win for each partner. P&G's brands and technologies can improve Marathon's offerings, while our consumers will have increased availability of Folgers."
MAP, based here, is the nation's sixth largest refiner, with 935,000 barrels-per-day capacity in its seven-refinery system. Its retail marketing system includes approximately 6,000 locations in 15 states, more than half of which are Marathon branded locations. MAP serves the Midwest and Southeast as a wholesale marketer with 86 light product and asphalt terminals and with access, through lease or ownership interest, to some 8,000 miles of pipeline. MAP is owned 62 percent by Marathon Oil Co. and 38 percent by Ashland Inc.
P&G also markets Pampers, Tide, Always, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Charmin and nearly 300 other brands in more than 160 countries around the world.