Through the yesteryears of limited competition and few players, to the current era of intense competition among numerous players in a fiercely competitive market, Bharat Petroleum has evolved following a long-term strategy fueled by continual performance enhancements, to lead the change. While Bharat Petroleum, which was born in 1976, saw an era of nationalization and a regulated market dominated by four oil majors, namely, IOC, BPCL, HPC and IBP, today the market scene has changed drastically. When the deregulation of 1991 opened the floodgates, there was a gush of players who wanted a share in the lucrative pie of the expanding Indian lubricant market. Jostling for space were big multinational oil majors with their established brands, as well as several nifty players eager to brave it out in the market place that was getting fiercer by the day. A clear strategy, innovation, and concerted efforts have seen MAK Lubricants reach the heights that they have through these years.

The entry of many new players back then also meant new brands, new looks and alternative options for Indian consumers. For example, consumers earlier bought their lubricants from end points of the channel – retail outlets. However, now they had alternative buying routes available. These entrants also brought with them innovative packages and evoked fresh perceptions about lubricant brands.

Further, we observed that

• Our three individual brands were causing perceptual segmentation for the customers, and this was one of the reasons why we were some advantage against mother brands of competitors.
• Category spends were going up and the lower volumes could not justify large investment in each of the brands.
• Maintaining these then-existing three brands was no longer an optimal strategy.

This was the time when BPCL saw an opportunity to initiate a major re-strategizing of its brands.

Thus, in 2003, all the three brands (MAK, GLIDE, AUTOMOL) were unified into one umbrella brand – ‘MAK’. This scripted a new chapter in the history of MAK lubricants. Among the many benefits of this convergence was that we were now able to synergize and also approach media communication in a fresh new way. Thus, our campaigns emerged much stronger and visible, resulting in better brand recognition and greater brand acceptance.

The tagline “MAK® Makes it Possible” for the unified umbrella brand was also launched simultaneously. This was a revolution for the brand, as it blended brand communication and brand positioning into a memorable line that connected with the audience, with great recall value and enhanced perception.

The tagline reflected the fact that MAK Lubricants were indeed making possible many innovative things. MAK Lubricants have made possible improved performance characteristics under most stressful operating conditions. They high-performance lubricants have made possible protecting engines while maximizing performance at extreme temperatures, both at the hotter and colder ends, thus expanding the operating temperature range. MAK Lubricants have also made it possible to increase the longevity of equipment. The latest MAK Lubricants have made possible efficient use of cleanest automotive fuels in next-generation engines and are making it possible to reduce emissions. Thus, the tagline “MAK® Makes it Possible” enlivens the spirit and determination of meeting challenges head-on and overcoming them by making things possible up against all odds.