Exxon's Slogans & Taglines

Exxon was the brand name of the oil and natural resources company Exxon Corporation, originally founded in 1870 as Standard Oil by John D. Rockefeller. Following the 1911 U.S. Supreme Court antitrust dissolution of Standard Oil, Standard Oil Company of New Jersey emerged as the largest successor, marketing products under the Esso brand. In 1972, the company officially renamed itself Exxon Corporation, unifying its domestic branding. The brand operated as a major integrated oil company engaged in exploration, production, refining, and marketing until its 1999 merger with Mobil Corporation to form ExxonMobil.

Core offerings included gasoline, motor oil, lubricants, and petrochemical products sold through retail service stations and industrial channels. Brand messaging was dominated by the 1959 advertising campaign Put a tiger in your tank, which became one of the most iconic slogans in marketing history. During the 1972 corporate rebranding, the company deployed We’ve changed our name, but not our stripes to maintain continuity with its tiger mascot. In the 1990s, the brand evolved to Rely on the Tiger, reinforcing consumer trust in fuel quality and performance.