Hello from Germany, using Agip oils in my italian cars since decades, this week I received a letter from Agip Germany, that in the future the oils will get a new name. There will be neither Agip Sint nor will they keep the well known company label ( the one with the dragon ) one could see on my beloved 70s Formula 1 racers. No; Agip now is called ENI, which is the name of the italian corporate group. And, what I find extra ridiculous; the oils will be called something with 'I'. For example, my Agip Sint 2000 is now ENI i-Sint. We have i-Pads, i-Pods, i-Phones. Do we really need i-oils ? O.k.; it really doesn't matter, because what really matters is, what's inside the barrels; just wanted to tell you about this weird new designation. And I will actually keep my last 60 ltr. ( 16 gal ) barrel which says ' Agip Sint 2000' when it's empty, because it's so nice in my garage Best Regards from Germany Martin
LOL..that was funny. On a more serious note, I agree with you that the re-branding is not easy to accept, but as long as the product is the same then that is what matters most.
rebranding and established brand is VERY difficult - if not impossible - to do successfully. This is a mistake on the part of AGIP, IMHO. Although Datsun "successfully" rebranded themselves as Nissan, there are many pundits that feel it was this action that relegated them to the #3 spot amongst the Japanese imports. Hard to say, but I know for some time, Nissan didn't grab hold here in the US.
I bet a year after the new name flops they'll come out with "Agip Sint Classic" along the lines of the big Coke blunder of the 80s Jedi
Coke in the '80s was rebranding in a different way - they came up with a new "recipe" and it sucked. They tried to call it "Coke" but the market rejected it. It hurt them so badly that they went back to the old recipe and came out with a new line called "New Coke". Not sure they even sell "New Coke" anymore, that's how lame it was. Serves as a lesson for "if it ain't broke - don't fix it"!
Here's the whole story from Coke itself: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_newcoke.html Jedi
of course; gas stations have the new name since last year as well as a few oils. But from next month on ALL products will be called ENI and Agip is history.....temporarily I hope. Best Regards Martin
HOLY COW that's the worst marketing gobbledy-gook I've ever heard!!! Intelligent Risks?? I've been in Product Management and Marketing for 20 years, and I could tell you from Day 1 this was the stupidest idea imaginable. There was NOTHING good that came from it. That would be like Ford and Firestone trying to spin the tire controversy as something good for safety!!! The way I view this page is like complete arrogance - they can't let it go and admit they screwed up ROYALLY. Even this little web page - memo to Coca-Cola - TAKE IT DOWN!!!
Why don't you write them a hand written latter indicating that with their change in name, you are going to change the oil that you buy.
Oh, sure they admit it, and much good came from it, as truly Intelligent Risks followed in the rejuvenated company after that redefined touchstone moment of temporary insanity. One has to remember, Coke was getting it's ass handed to it left and right by evildoer Pepsi before the new recipe was retailed. Coke II is no longer available in USA. *Brand Loyalty has grown since then. In the long run, the Risks did not undo Coca-Cola as many feared, as indeed they command a greater market share not just with Coke, but with their entire range of 800+ beverages available, all based on Risk. *Neither my wife nor myself purchase PepsiCo beverage products. Coke Is It.
Worse than that - It wasn't the Old Recipe. It was a new version, similar, but different taste, and a completely different aftertaste. One taste of that nasty "new & improved" New Coke crap was all you needed never to want it to cross your lips again. This couldn't have been a mistake. Conjecture is (supported by way too much evidence to disregard) that the "improved" attempt was a way to buffer the change from Sugar sweetener to the much cheaper Corn Syrup version and its required tweaks to get it back to "close". Part of that evidence is available in many places in Texas - imported Mexican Coke, which still uses the old formula. If you grew up on it, you will immediately recognize it as what Coca-Cola used to be. Euro-Coke is pretty close, too, but Mexican is on the nose, and for a while, the US distributors tried to keep it out. They may even be the importers now, since it's available in Wal-Mart, Tom Thumb, and Albertson's, where it sells for a small premium, and some convenience stores in particular neighborhoods. Another point of evidence is that many of us stockpiled the "old" Coke formula before it all disappeared. In my case, about a dozen cases of bottles and cans, kept inside with heat and A/C, and enjoyed sparingly. I still had several (less than a dozen, by that time) hiding in my fridge when the "Gee, we're awfully sorry. Here's Classic - Trust us!!! It's just like the old Coke!!! Trust us!!!" Coke Classic appeared. Side by side, it's horribly obvious. By itself, Classic was tolerable, but I VERY rarely touched it again. I learned anew appreciation for Water.Moves like this pretty much always signal change brought about by cost-cutting. A better product, usually using better materials or a new process, tends to build on the established branding - not "Re-Identify" itself. And the whole "i-" thing has bugged the hell out of me since just after the i-Pod (or whichever Apple product it was) started to be copied for the sake of being "hip". Label it with "i-" and i-dontgiveafaak. It's hard to believe that a company with the heritage of AGIP would sway with this typically disastrous breeze.....and a bit sad.
I'm in Germany. But maybe I will switch to Castrol when my stock of Agip Sint is used up. Castrol RS 10W-60 is also a proper oil for my cars and available everywhere. Best Regards Martin
martin, i wasn't trying to be a smart ass. our engines require a fair amount of zddp for the tappets/cam lobe sake. castrol provides very little because of the cat-killing properties which would make life difficult for them. since your car has no cat, you shouldn't have to worry. here's their link. maybe they export to europe. http://www.bradpennracing.com/
Can you get it in Kuwait Mike? I get mine flown over from CA as the stuff they sell here in the UK is only a replica
I have 7 quarts of the Sint 2000 remaining but sold the vintage Maserati I used it in, perhaps collectible value now?
It's a 'six legged dog" actually, or so Enzo was written to have called it.... I once discussed oil with some AGIP guys, in the Houston AGIP building elevator, and even wearing the AGIP team jacket, I couldn't get any from them...
