Dubai: One of the most visible brands in Dubai has undergone a transformation... a subtle one at that. Refinery-to-convenience store operator Enoc is the one that has done so, and which gives its new look a millennial feel. And that’s the whole purpose behind the change.

“We had to inject modernism — you can’t appeal to the millennials going forward by looking very 1980s or 1990s,” said Moadh Bukhash, senior manager, Group Communications at Enoc. “In the past, oil companies were communicating only to a certain strata of the customer base. It was confined to supplying refined products and bulk lubricants.

“With the roll-out of our service stations, the convenience stores and even stand-alone F&B counters, the business and visibility of Enoc has changed.

“Within the local community, we are constantly talking to a younger audience as well. Going to petrol stations is an experience for kids, and the retail business has transformed well beyond refuelling.”

The energy giant’s visual imagery is tied closely to the UAE national colours. As part of the brand refresh, the imagery as such has not changed, what has is the tone of the colours.

Change in corporate strategy

“We changed only the colours to really project a change in corporate strategy and also communicate to a larger group than in the past,” said Bukhash. “That made the green and the red used more vibrant. We recognised the value of the brand and its positioning within local society.

“In recent years, we have transformed our operations from being a mid-to-downstream player to an end-to-end energy player. We made the full acquisition of Dragon Oil [the exploration and production company] two years ago.

“All this meant we had to evolve our corporate strategy. And the subsequent changes in brand strategy are a reflection of business strategy. We understand what the objectives are and the need to project these to the world and internally to our stakeholders.”

As one of the largest local organisations, Enoc did have a lot to get done on the internal side. Its workforce lists 10,000 employees spread across multiple markets.

It meant that as part of the brand change, the web side of things was one of the first feel it. “That had to be done to get internal stakeholders to produce value that customers want to buy into,” said Waddah Ganem Al Hashmi, executive director for Corporate Affairs at Enoc.

“In the energy business there are the examples of the BPs, Chevrons and Shells of the world who had rebranded on a large scale. It took them years to completely change the brand. And the physical transformation of the brand on site comes at a very high cost.

“It needs to be done on a long-term basis to balance the cost with the value we hope to get out of it. It should take us two years and more.”

Energy management

Clearly, the retail side of Enoc’s business will be a constant witness to the visual changes. The plans are to add 54 new service stations by 2020 to the 100 odd it operates. And it is much easier to integrate the changes at brand new facilities.

“We are quite focused much on sustainable growth and do a lot of stuff on energy management,” said Al Hashmi. “These days a lot of our new stations have 100 per cent recycling, they come solar powered and have low resource usage when it comes to more efficient lighting. Marketers used to think if you use energy-efficient lighting, you won’t get the same level of brand vibrancy. Honestly, LED lights [were] looked down upon — that’s transformed. Thankfully.”

But one area of Enoc’s operations where the new branding will have less of a play would be at its ‘Zoom’ convenience stores. Zoom will remain the branding with ownership of those retail facilities.

“In this we are taking lessons from the Unilevers of the world, in that they have a free-standing brand architecture,” said Bukhash. “They realise brands need to sit in a space of their own and with customers of their own.

“Zoom needs to have that space — if it’s selling phones and chocolates, there has to be a brand associated with that. It has to grow by itself and speak its way. When a corporate brand tells you how to run a brand, it constricts.”

But one place where the new branding definitely is going up is at the top of Enoc’s corporate headquarters. “That’s happening quite soon, and we are in conversation with a few contractors.”