PORTER, Texas — As of five years ago, Royal Purple was focusing its business on making high-performance synthetic lubricants for the industrial market. Yet, today the company may be better known for its consumer automotive products. 
Using what it describes as simple "Marketing 101," Royal Purple is proud to say it has grown its distribution footprint from 750 dealers five years ago to more than 15,000 dealers today.
“We dipped our toe into the consumer market over the years," said Royal Purple CEO Lee Culbertson. "When we brought someone in to make a concerted effort [at the consumer market], I think we were a little surprised at the growth.”
That concerted effort has made Royal Purple the fastest growing line of synthetic lubricants in the U.S., according to the company. Royal Purple is now the third best-selling synthetic motor oil behind Mobil1 and Castrol Syntec, according to NPD data.
VP of Consumer Marketing and Sales Mark McFann attributes much of the success to following ‘Marketing 101’ marketing principles and philosophies. “Everything starts with focusing on product quality and performance. Take care of that first and foremost, then everything else will fall into place,” said McFann.
In a recent interview, he shared what he believes are other key principles to achieve market success.
DIFFERENTIATE, DIFFERENTIATE
From the name Royal Purple, to trademarking the purple color of its packaging, to formulating its proprietary Synerlec technology, Royal Purple runs outside the herd of most aftermarket companies. “If everyone’s marketing one way, it’s a pretty good indicator to us that we want to go a different way”, said McFann. "For instance, take racing. Many well-meaning people suggest that we spend millions on racing sponsorships. We don’t think it makes a lot of sense to go into a venue crowded with competitors to try and gain mindshare. Certainly we maintain a presence (in racing) for R&D purposes and to maintain our street cred, but we find we get a much better ROI with other activities.”
BE SELECTIVE WITH DISTRIBUTION
McFann believes that it’s better to let distribution lag slightly behind demand. “We’ve respectfully turned down numerous distributors,” states McFann. “That way we don’t flood the market and tacitly encourage distributors to sell based on price as opposed to value. Additionally, a brand maintains more cache if it’s harder to come by. It’s much better for the brand to forgo short term sales gains for longer term value and brand strength”
STAY FOCUSED AND EVOLVE
‘We realize that what brought success yesterday won’t necessarily bring success tomorrow,” said McFann, “As long as we realize change is a constant and stay true to ourselves and our principles, we believe we can continue to grow for years to come.”
