The first, Mobil Super, is a conventional oil guaranteed to protect engines for up to 5,000 miles between oil changes. The second, also using conventional base oils, is Mobil Super High Mileage, targeted to drivers of older vehicles.

The third is Mobil Super Synthetic, a full-synthetic oil that aims to take up a stance slightly behind that held by Mobil 1, the world’s best-known synthetic engine oil.

Absent from the Mobil Super line-up is a synthetic-blend product. Also daring is the addition of the second-tier full-synthetic, but neither shift in strategy was undertaken lightly, stated Hesham Omar, Americas automotive marketing manager for ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties in Fairfax, Va.

Mobil Super is a global brand that’s already successful in Europe, Asia and Latin America, Omar said in an interview last week. “Mobil Super is our global premium brand, and it is very successful all around the world. It has been repositioned around the world, and now we’re bringing it home,” he said. “We believe the ‘Mobil Super’ name does better communicate quality to consumers.

“The Clean product line, which included Mobil Clean 5000, Mobil Synthetic Blend 7500 and Mobil Clean High Mileage, have been cancelled and replaced with Mobil Super, which still has a mileage interval of 5,000 miles. The big news is that we’re adding a Mobil Super High Mileage and Mobil Super Synthetic.”

Some industry observers say that Mobil Super Synthetic could come back to haunt the company by biting into the market share of its top-tier Mobil 1 synthetic, but Omar said market research shows that each can have its own niche. “We did very thorough consumer research on the proposition around Mobil Super Synthetic, and so we anticipate that Mobil Super Synthetic consumers will be trading up from conventional and synthetic blends,” he said. “The Mobil 1 buyer is seeking a superior product, and less likely to be interested in the Mobil Super proposition.”

Also, Mobil Super Synthetic will not be licensed to Dexos1, the trademarked oil now required for General Motors’ newest vehicles. That distinction will be reserved for Mobil 1 5W-30 and Mobil 1 Extended Performance.

Robert Shearer, a marketing advisor in the company’s automotive marketing group, said last October’s launch of ILSAC GF-5 and API SN, the newest engine oil categories, provided “a good opportunity to roll out a new product line – but we first did extensive market research.

“The market is changing,” he elaborated. “More vehicles require synthetic oil, so more consumers will find themselves buying it for the first time. The OEMs are also looking at drain intervals that are 7,500 to 10,000 miles and beyond, which they can get with our flagship 15,000-mile Mobil 1 product.

“We’ve been very focused in our offer, and in helping consumers find the right product for their cars by clearly outlining the differences,” Shearer said. To steer product selection, ExxonMobil plans to make heavy use of a check-chart, on the web, on labels, and on point of sales materials, he said. The chart compares the spectrum of Mobil Super and Mobil 1 products, and shows how each adds performance beyond the ones before it.

Company officials hope marketers will adhere to the check-chart’s rankings, but wouldn’t predict where the motor oils’ retail prices may settle. “We expect prices will vary by retailer and region,” commented Jeff Jones, another ExxonMobil marketing advisor in Fairfax. “The entire range is designed to be competitive in the premium category.”

All the Mobil Super products are backed by a guarantee against oil-related engine failure. While it follows on the heels of warranties offered by competitors such as Valvoline, Pennzoil and Quaker State, Omar called this guarantee “quite different from any other.”

“First, the protection starts from the first oil change, as long as you own the vehicle,” he said. “There’s no registration required, either. We encourage consumers to read the guarantee – they can start a vehicle on the program any time, any vehicle, and the protection begins immediately.”

The coverage is valid for as long as the consumer owns that vehicle and continues using Mobil Super at appropriate oil-change intervals, added Shearer. Full details are spelled out at www.mobil.com/guarantee.

Shearer said many distributors have already picked up the new products, and he expects by April they’ll be available wherever Mobil products are sold.

That includes Mobil 1 Lube Express quick lubes, said Jones. “They will be to offer the Mobil Super Synthetic products, too. It’s important to us for all quick lubes to have all the products available for consumers.

“We are just now starting with the communication campaign,” Jones went on. “We’re planning a fully integrated campaign, including media, public relations, digital, point of sale, and training materials for our nationwide network of sales professionals and distributors.”

Omar declined to reveal the advertising and promotional budget for the introductory campaign, but assured it would be an all-out effort. “We haven’t been as aggressive in the past as you’re going to see us be in the future,” he said.