Page 27 - Fuels & Lubes International 2013 - Q1

正在扩张，但这并不是一项简单的任务。每个市场都
有其独特的需求，无论是文化上的、语言上的还是技
术上的。例如，汽车的平均使用年限这样的简单需求
就存在多种情况。在欧洲，一般是6-8年，而在非洲则
为12-15年。在美国，对标签上的内容有严格的规范，
因此很难实现规模经济。按Claessens所说，要设计
不同语言的标签并满足不同的标签规范就是一件非
常困难的事情。
Claessens说要打造一个品牌并非易事。与大型
的跨国企业不同，初期的大量工作只能由为数不多
的人来完成。这些新工作包括设计、网站建设以回答
关键的问题，如“我们的合作伙伴到底需要什么？”
Wolf Oil的品牌重塑还有另一方面，这也是使他们与
众不同的原因之一。Claessens解释说，对Wolf Oil
来说，回答这样的问题非常重要：“我们如何才能在
世界范围内像正真的合作伙伴、一家人那样密切合
作？”
在新设计和新的网站开发过程，也基本采用这种
方式。大家一致努力，保证劲往一处使，确保向合作
伙伴提供相同的工具，特别是在“合作伙伴”项目中。
这个项目是一种增值服务，以确保公司能有足够的时
间来开发针对客户需求的产品。从去年九月份第一次
采访Claessens以来，这种方式使Wolf Oil取得了进
入多个国家的成就；新的销售区域包括南美、亚洲、
非洲和一些新的欧洲国家。
与一线品牌的竞争
虽然Wolf Oil成功地取得了与其竞争对手的差异
化，甚至取得了卓有成效的增长，Claessens也很快
指出Wolf Oil还只是一个二线品牌。她说，“我们知
道我们是谁，我们在近期还不能成为一线品牌……甚
至在相当的时间内那是如此，但我们也不想。”
Claessens认为一线品牌与二线品牌之间的差异
在于那些一线品牌“都是大型跨国公司，拥有大量的
资源，包括人和预算”，并已经营多年。而Wolf Oil只
是“一家私营的家族企业，且业务100%在润滑油方
面。”虽说一家公司并不想进入更高端的市场看来有
点奇怪，但Claessens解释说，要和一线品牌竞争是
极为困难的，尤其是在定价灵活性方面。虽然有些市
场上一线品牌的价格比Wolf Oil高30-40%，但在另
一些市场上，其价格要比Wolf Oil低3-4%。
当然，其结果还难以说明问题，Claessens只是
指出了财务上可量化的成功，属于有形的部分。在去
年九月在德国法兰克福的AutoMechanika展览会
上，他在Wolf Oil占地225平方米的展位上说，“Wolf
Oil的展位已不再默默无闻，现在已成为一个很吸引
人的展位，但这可能与在展位免费提供比利时啤酒有
关。除了这种非常规的方法以外，很明显Wolf Oil已
实现了品牌的重新定位，并成为了一个生活方式类的
品牌。”
newly introduced high volume of work had to
be managed by a relatively small number of
people. The new work ranged from new designs
and websites to answering crucial questions like
“what is the exact need of our partner?” There is
another aspect of wolf Oil’s rebranding which
might be a clue as to what separates them from
other companies. Claessens explained that it was
important for wolf Oil to answer the question,
“how can we work together as real partners, as a
family all over the world?”
This approach carried over into the re-
branding quite well as Claessens explained the
new designs, and the new website. There was
a concerted effort to focus on making sure the
right tools are available to the partners, espe-
cially with regards to the “partner program.”
This program is an added value service, which
makes sure that the company takes the time to
offer a customer-focused product. The approach
has paid off for wolf Oil as they have grown into
a number of countries since the initial inter-
view with Claessens last September; the new
areas of distribution include countries in South
America, Asia, Africa and a number of new
markets throughout europe.
Competing with “A” brands
Although wolf Oil has successfully dif-
ferentiated itself from its competitors, and even
though it has demonstrated remarkable growth,
Claessens was quick to point out that wolf Oil
is a “b brand.” Claessens clarified by saying, “we
know who we are, and we’re not going to be an
A brand in the near future... maybe ever. but we
don’t want to be.”
The main difference Claessens sees between
A and b brands is that A brands are “large
multinational companies which have a lot of
resources, both in staff as in budgets,” that have
also been active for many years. wolf Oil on
the other hand is, “a family company, pri-
vately owned, and focuses 100% on lubricants.”
Although it may seem odd that a company may
not aspire to the more upscale market, Claessens
explained that competing with the “A brands”
can be extremely difficult due to their flexibility
with regards to competitive pricing. Although
some markets see “A brands” with price 30-40%
above those of wolf Oil, there are other markets
with prices 3 or 4% below what wolf is able to
match.
Of course, it’s difficult to argue with re-
sults, Claessens pointed not just to the obvious
financially quantifiable success, but to the less
tangible as well. he described wolf Oil’s booth
at the AutoMechanika trade show in Frankfurt,
germany, last September, as a massive “255
square meters, with two full bars.” wolf’s booth
has moved leagues away from its former ano-
nymity and is now a major attraction, though
that may have to do with the complimentary
belgian beers provided at the bar. despite the
unusual approach, it’s clear that wolf Oil has
more than met its goal of not only rebranding
itself, but of becoming a lifestyle brand.
27 FUELS & LUBES INTERNATIONAL Quarter One 2013