EMA Journal • Fall 2025 • In the Spirit

There comes a time when even the best built machines need a tune-up. Harleys. Sports cars. Combine harvesters. Heck, even Big Ben in London needs to be routinely oiled and wound. Knowing that, it’s critical that proper attention and maintenance are carried out on whatever “mechanism” you’re working with — workflow, assembly line, proprietary process — to make sure it keeps running like a top. This is particularly true when it comes to business — and business promotion. That’s why the Spirit® Brand has carried out a thorough retooling of its national brand, email domain, website, brochures and standards to better serve retail fuel marketers and station owners. The changes may not be obvious at first glance, but if you kick the tires, peek under the hood and drive it around a little, you’ll see that these elements integral to the Spirit Brand are significantly improved — and revved up.

The jump-start to these changes actually occurred a few years back. The Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA), identifying shifts within the industry, changed its name to Energy Marketers of America (EMA), reflecting their increased focus on the evolving energy landscape. As a result, Spirit® Petroleum also shifted gears, rebranding itself as The Spirit® Brand. Retaining Spirit’s striking design and color scheme, it was a forward-looking step that expanded our identity beyond petroleum alone.

In turn, this prompted the change of our email domain to @thespiritbrand.com. In the workaday world, most of us often take email for granted, but it remains the most vital and effective method for business communication. In spite of the relentless spread of collaboration platforms and messaging apps, email is still the leading form of connection with customers and clients. The domain shift is a simple change, but one that signals our commitment to adaptability and long-term vision.

But our rebranding effort didn’t stop there. It extended into the digital heart of Spirit’s operations: our website. Formerly spiritpetroleum.com, we pulled up stakes and moved the whole shebang to a new location: www.thespiritbrand.com. More than a new address, the site has been revised and upgraded from top to bottom. We’ve improved navigation, updated specs and services, and streamlined access to vital resources. We know that our website will often be the first point of contact between ourselves and our target audience — marketers and station owners. Therefore, it’s vitally important to keep a well-maintained site that’s routinely updated, runs seamlessly and is easy for clients to navigate to find the resources they need. And now its engine is humming.

Speaking of resources, our brochures have undergone the same in-depth treatment. A potent marketing tool, our downloadable brochures have been fully updated to offer a more thorough snapshot of our brand and its services. Meanwhile, Spirit’s Image Standards Manual has also been spiffed up, providing clear, detailed instructions and specifications on everything from the correct use of the Spirit® logo for marketing to specifications for imaging canopies, sign faces, pumps and valances. Plus, Spirit’s easy-to-use Test-Drive page has been revised and streamlined. It’s a proven way to help marketers and their dealers visualize how a site will look once it’s branded Spirit®.

In the end, The Spirit® Brand’s rebranding, improved communications, overhauled website and revamped brochures may have things firing on all cylinders, but the most important upside is that our customers will have a clearer understanding of how our products and services can help them with their business. They say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That may be true, but sometimes making just enough targeted changes can make all the difference. Want to see how? Simply give our new website www.thespiritbrand.com a test drive. Take it for a spin.

At The Spirit® Brand, we want to help. Contact us at 509.203.7357 or info@thespiritbrand.com, or, even more fitting, at my shiny new email — gramm@thespiritbrand.com — and let us know how we can assist you with all of your branding needs.