Posts Tagged ‘Paddy Briggs’

Given the likely horror in London and The Hague and the equal dismay in Brussels we can expect some swift defensive manoeuvres to be soon under discussion. Prime amongst these has to be the oft trumpeted merger of Shell and BP into one seriously big and European managed corporation.

But having said all this, you are right again that the SEC now themselves should be doing some major ‘mea culpa’ for not overseeing the real criminals in the finance world. Our beloved leader of the past, the borne again christian Philippus Watts, would have made a great investment banker. And he will still occupy a seat next to the likes of bishop Mugabe in his afterlife. And it will be hot there!

Since you have kindly recently answered questions raised by me on other subjects, I feel sure you will want to deal with this matter which is of great concern to Shell pensioners. You might also wish to comment on the related posting by former Shell exec Mr Paddy Briggs.

But, as we have seen, the pursuit of personal reward by top executives, driven by a pursuit of profit above everything else, can lead to disaster – as it has in the banking sector and as it did for Enron and very nearly for Shell as well at the time of its “reserves crisis” a few years ago.

(UPDATED INFORMATION: AS OF JAN 2010, PADDY BRIGGS BECAME AN ELECTED TRUSTEE OF THE SHELL CONTRIBUTORY PENSION FUND)

By John Donovan

As regular visitors are aware, former Royal Dutch Shell executive, Paddy Briggs, is a welcome contributing author of insightful articles on this website.

Paddy is a modest fellow so it was interesting to stumble across a reference to him and his leadership at Shell of ‘the world’s largest re-imaging programme’ on pages 378/379 of the book: “A CENTURY IN OIL”

The relevant extract is printed below. A photograph of another of our Shell heroes, there are not many, appears on page 378: Sir John Jennings.

A CENTURY IN OIL

The “Shell” Transport and Trading Company 1897 – 1997

The Changing Shape of Shell: 1993-1997

Last undertaken in 1971, the 1990s redesign of the pecten actually involved far more than the pecten alone. Within Shell the process was called Retail Visual Identity, or RVI, and it entailed a complete overhaul of the total design of Shell’s service stations. The professional press described it as ‘the world’s largest re-imaging programme’ – with justice, for outside the US, which would retain its own pattern, the new look was to be applied to all Shell’s 38,000 service stations world-wide in a ten-year programme, at a cost of £500 million. Obviously it could not be undertaken lightly, and when applied, it had to be right.

Beginning in 1989, the new RVI was four years in the planning, under a team led by Paddy Briggs, a marketing specialist of 25 years’ standing with Shell. Market research in seventeen countries established that motorists perceived Shell petrol stations as places staffed by friendly, caring, trustworthy professionals, and that Shell red and yellow were popular colours; but it also established that Shell as a whole was beginning to be seen as old-fashioned and rather undynamic. Moreover, the 1970s design had lacked detailed guidelines: individual operating companies had only artists’ impressions of architecture and signage to go on, and stations in neighbouring countries could look confusingly different, with no common elements apart from red, yellow and the pecten, which was often scattered randomly around the site. The new appearance was intended to change all those negative elements while maintaining and enhancing the positive, in an evolutionary rather than revolutionary manner; and like all really good design, the result – formally launched in the UK in May 1994 – looked as though it must have been quite simple to determine and achieve. But the fact that its achievement took four busy years indicates how much hard work and careful thought was required.

There were ten main elements in the new RVI, all working together to produce a harmonious, attractive and welcoming setting in which customers felt relaxed and safe – ‘not the greasy garage,’ as someone said, ‘but the fully fitted kitchen.’ Of the ten elements, the single most noticeable was that the pecten, hitherto always two-dimensional, became three-dimensional. Otherwise the numerous alterations were so subtle that their total effect was almost subliminal, and people only really recognized the differences when photographs of sites old and new were placed side by side; but if that was done, it became obvious that in contrast, the older design just did seem old-fashioned. How effectively RVI would achieve its main aim (the preservation of Shell’s position as the world’s leading petrol retailer) in the longer term remained to be seen, but it looked like a winner at once. An encouraging level of success was apparent as soon as it was launched: the new look not only earned a European Sign Design Society award, which was gratifying, but also something much more valuable – the warm approval of customers. And if a 3D pecten did for Shell’s sales what 3D seismic had done for its exploration, its £500 million cost would prove a wise investment.

See original pages here

http://www.shellnews.net/PDFs/PaddyBriggsRVI.pdf

• Publisher: Weidenfeld and Nicolson (1997)
• ASIN: B000M6GSFI
• Paddy Briggs website:http://www.brandaware.co.uk/

Today with over 40,000 gas (petrol) stations in around 100 countries Shell is by some distance the most visible retail brand in the world.

By Paddy Briggs

This is important news. These two major companies would not have made this investment if they did not think that the project was viable. So Shell’s withdrawal has nothing to do with the inherent merits of the project but with their continued aversion to activities away form their core hydrocarbon business. As a shareholder I have no problem with this. As Tom Peters wisely said – STICK TO YOUR KNITTING !

What I object to, however, is the continued claims by Shell and other Oil Majors that they are genuinely interested in “Renewables”. The reality is that they have neither the time nor the skills nor the imagination to be heavily involved in Wind Energy (etc.). The number of staff, the capital investment and the revenue expenditure on Renewables is minuscule compared with the core hydrocarbon business. But the rhetoric in the corporate advertising of Shell and the rest is quite disproportionate to this reality. It really is utterly hypocritical.

About Paddy

Paddy Briggs worked for Shell for 37 years during the last fifteen of which he was responsible for Brand management in a number of appointments. He was the winner of the “Shell/Economist” writing prize (internal) in 2001. Paddy retired from Shell in 2002 to form the brand consultancy BrandAware ™ and to write and speak on brand and reputation matters.
Paddy is active as a director of training courses on brand and reputation management.

Paddy is also a sports journalist and a member of the “Sports Journalists Association” and the “Cricket Writers’ Club”. He has had weekly columns in the “Bahrain Tribune”, the “Khaleej Times”, the “Emirates Evening Post” and “Ameinfo”. He is currently working on a commission to write the biography of the Kent and West Indies cricketer John Shepherd.

Paddy’s book of light verse “Jumeira Jane”was published in Dubai in 2001 and the first edition print run of 5000 copies was sold out.

http://www.brandaware.co.uk/

By Paddy Briggs

There are many who believe that many of Shell’s problems in recent times has come from a growing Americanisation of this historically European company. My experience with senior Americans (Jim Morgan, Steve Miller, Lynn Elsenhans and others) was that they were usually likeable but wholly unsuited to the international character of Shell. The regrettable centralisation of decision making is an American led virus. Linda Cook has no international experience to speak of and she sounds like an archetypal centralising American business apparatchik – the last thing Shell needs just now.

About Paddy

Paddy Briggs worked for Shell for 37 years during the last fifteen of which he was responsible for Brand management in a number of appointments. He was the winner of the “Shell/Economist” writing prize (internal) in 2001. Paddy retired from Shell in 2002 to form the brand consultancy BrandAware ™ and to write and speak on brand and reputation matters. Paddy is active as a director of training courses on brand and reputation management.

Paddy is also a sports journalist and a member of the “Sports Journalists Association” and the “Cricket Writers’ Club”. He has had weekly columns in the “Bahrain Tribune”, the “Khaleej Times”, the “Emirates Evening Post” and “Ameinfo”. He is currently working on a commission to write the biography of the Kent and West Indies cricketer John Shepherd.

Paddy’s book of light verse “Jumeira Jane”was published in Dubai in 2001 and the first edition print run of 5000 copies was sold out.

http://www.brandaware.co.uk/

Iraq: …the reason that Shell and ExxonMobil and the rest are confident of riches is because they have the best supporter of all to guarantee it for them. The United States military.

High Prices lead to high profits. High profits lead to high director remuneration. QED – ’tis in the interest of the high priced help in Shell (etc.) to keep the oil price high -whatever they may say!