The 2020, biennial BP Amoco Marketers Association (BPAMA) Convention and Business Expo, held at Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Fla., concluded on March 4.
The convention focused on the future of the retail fuels industry, how it is being impacted by the fast rate of innovation and how a combination of BP’s global expertise and capability alongside the local expertise of marketers can deliver increased and sustained value.
Some of the highlights from the three-day convention include:
BP unveiled a major new fuels advertising campaign that will launch in 2020 to promote its premium fuel, Amoco Ultimate with Invigorate. The campaign will begin in the second quarter of 2020 and includes a multi-channel marketing plan including new TV, radio, and digital advertisements.
To align with this new campaign, BP announced a marketing partnership with Michigan-based Roush Performance Products Inc. The partnership will be activated with a fuels endorsement from Roush Performance for BP’s premium fuel, as well as a consumer promotion and opportunities for BP’s marketers to participate in VIP driving experiences and track days throughout the year.
BP showcased developments to its loyalty strategy, all focused on providing consumers with a seamless, personalized digital experience. Building on the success of the recently launched BPme Rewards program, BP’s head of marketing, Nicola Buck, highlighted expansion of BPme Rewards via web registration and ability to access loyalty through a phone number at the pump as well as the inclusion of Apple and Android Pay functionality later in the year. This and other developments will be tested and rolled out throughout 2020.
Alongside BP branded marketer Bill Tome, president of Mark Oil in Charlotte, N.C., BP introduced a spirit pump program that gives BP branded retailers the opportunity to wrap a gas pump with Paralympic branding to raise money for Paralympics. BP marketers who participate in the program and BP will both donate a portion of proceeds from gas purchases made at the pump, for a specific time period, to support local Paralympic Sports Clubs and athletes. BP is the Official Sponsor of three different Summer Paralympics teams – swimming, cycling and track and field and will be hosting a small number of branded marketers at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
BP’s head of mobility, Roy Williamson, delivered a keynote presentation on the future of mobility, key trends in this space and what BP is doing globally and in the U.S. to respond to consumers’ changing attitudes towards electric and autonomous vehicles.
The Business Expo showcased over 50 vendors and their products, services and technology solutions. BP branded marketers had the opportunity to experience and provide input on the latest innovations in fuel retailing in the Learning Lab. These included an area hosted by Amazon which showcased voice technology for site operators to access training and site information; real-time fraud detection at sites; and grab and go digital mobile payment for convenience stores. BP teams also showcased new on-site signage ideas to solicit marketer feedback, mobile EV charging units and featured an information center on BP’s net zero ambition.
This year’s BPAMA Convention was a carbon neutral event. In addition to offsetting attendee travel and hotel and meeting space energy costs, BP made efforts throughout the event to reduce the carbon footprint of the convention itself, such as the elimination of single use plastics.
