ExxonMobil · Flagship case study
Turning field research into an oil-recycling service strategy
I led retail field research for ExxonMobil to understand customer attitudes, employee needs, and opportunities for an oil-recycling loyalty program. Working with innovation and research directors, I trained two researchers and translated findings into personas, journey maps, messaging, and a proposed service strategy. Campaign impact was still unmeasured in the source material.
[NEED FROM LOGAN: verified outcome metrics with baseline, timeframe, and supporting evidence]
Context: ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil wanted to understand brand sentiment and interest in recycling and future services across its retail ecosystem.
The challenge
A program needed to work for customers, retail employees, and the brand, across different touchpoints and incentives.
The insight that changed the direction
Employee participation and customer understanding had to be part of the service, alongside rewards and messaging.
Before / Observed context
Brand and recycling questions needed grounded evidence from the retail environment.
After / Direction taken
A research-informed service proposal connecting rewards, employee education, and customer messaging.
What I did
- 01Interview customers and employees
- 02Map service needs and journeys
- 03Propose a recycling loyalty strategy
Evidence statusProposed strategy; post-launch impact not supplied
- Designed customer and employee discussion guides and led research in AutoZone stores.
- Coached two new researchers in contextual inquiry and field methods.
- Synthesized personas and journey maps, then recommended rewards, employee education, and rollout messaging.
Annotated screens and user flows
[NEED FROM LOGAN: approved annotated screens or user flow for ExxonMobil; include captions and delivery status]
Before and after evidence
[NEED FROM LOGAN: matched source artifacts showing the observed problem and the delivered or proposed response]
Outcomes and evidence
The work produced a proposed recycling loyalty program and rollout strategy. The source explicitly says effectiveness would be evaluated after deployment; no sales or loyalty increase is claimed.
Reflection: decisions and trade-offs
The strategy balanced customer incentives, staff involvement, and brand priorities. The leadership contribution included developing researcher capability and connecting multiple stakeholders around a service model.
[NEED FROM LOGAN: Logan’s specific retrospective on what he would do differently and the stakeholder alignment involved]