ABSTRACT
When Chevron acquired Gulf in 1985 for $13.2 billion, it was the biggest merger in history. This merger marked the starting point of a huge business challenge for Chevron, involving the integration of two corporate giants—their assets, their personnel, their “cultures,” and their brand “personalities.” Marketing was an important aspect of this integration; specifically, the corporation now held two viable brands of gasoline—Chevron and Gulf. However, the terms of the merger necessitated divestment of assets such that there was little overlap remaining between Chevron and Gulf s major markets. The Chevron brand was widely known in the Southeast and Pacific regions. Gulf, on the other hand, was a major gasoline brand in the Southwest region, especially in the state of Texas, where Chevron was a virtual unknown.
