Shell companies in the Philippines - Innovation in Investor Relations

Name of Organization / Company: Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation
Category: C01 - C12 Award for Innovation in Communications / PR > C02. Award for Innovation in Investor Relations

Entry Title: Pilipinas Shell - Managing Investor Morale Through Digitalization

2020 was supposed to be a banner year for Pilipinas Shell, coming from its previous year milestone of 105 years in the country, and an 11% increase in net income. But 2020 proved to be a perfect storm for the local energy industry. This started with the Taal Volcano eruption, the OPEC and Russia price war, and the COVID-19 pandemic which culminated with the longest running government-imposed quarantine in the world. All of these severely affected investor morale and engagement.

However, Shell’s focus on strengthening its digital channels proved to be the key pivot that strengthened its relationship with investors, analysts, businesses and customers.

We strengthened our digital presence because it was now our main touch point with our stakeholders. Our website was an accessible and transparent platform which allowed stakeholders to remain informed while in the safety of their homes. Our strategy was to have a steady production of well-written and timely digital content that demonstrated the company’s three-fold recovery strategy of Care for people, Continuity of business, and Cash preservation.

Key features inside our main website included cover stories on the key priorities of the company including innovation and sustainability. Infographics, videos and photos were featured prominently. Pages for campaigns and promotions, loyalty rewards and resources for motorists and business customers were also featured. The Shell station locator is also linked in the website which allows customers to view existing Shell stations across the Philippines including hours, contact numbers, available fuel, and other services and amenities. Each page demonstrates our commitment to care.

Meanwhile, our investor-specific pages featured required disclosures including financial statements and press releases, quarterly briefing presentations, tabs on Stockholder’s Meeting Information and Capital Stock Information, a timeline illustrating our sustainable partnerships throughout the years consistent with the theme of our Annual Sustainability Report; 105 Years of Energy – A Legacy of Sustainable Partnership, and a glossary providing clarity on oil and gas industry terms and abbreviations used across the website.

The impact of this innovation is clearly seen in our IR website analytics generated last July 27, 2020. Our “Investors Relations Page” is the second most visited page in the Pillipinas Shell website. There are currently 179 pages in the website, and this high engagement demonstrates that visitors are most interested to learn about our investor related initiatives; and that investors and analysts visit the website to keep themselves updated with relevant information.

Further, investor-specific content such as the financial reports page (212 visits), the 2020 Annual Stockholder’s Meeting (170 visits), and the 2019 Annual Sustainability Report (138 visits) rank among the content with the highest engagement. The 2019 ASR is also the second most downloaded file in the website.

Pilipinas Shell constantly keeps in contact with stakeholders through different communication channels and asks for feedback. Notably, Oaklands Path mentioned that our disclosures gave them the increased confidence to buy company shares. Philippine National Bank, Wellington Management Group, Avanda Investment Management, and Deutsche Bank-Regis also commended the level of detail and reliability of our releases especially in terms of our COVID-19 response involving debt, gearing, and inventory management.

All these indicators show how the investment community and general public responded positively to Shell’s readiness to innovate and pivot digitally. It is uncertain how long the effects of the pandemic will last; but our digital efforts have solidified Shell’s strong track record through its 106 years of innovation and resiliency to reposition Shell for the new normal.

Links:

https://www.shell.com.ph/
https://pilipinas.shell.com.ph/investors/investor-briefing-materials/_jcr_content/par/textimage.stream/1590046966240/5e031dd6aec284483de6544ee0a866019f25ad91/pspc-1q20-analyst-briefing-pack21may2020-final3.pdf
https://pilipinas.shell.com.ph/investors/investor-briefing-materials/_jcr_content/par/textimage.stream/1590046957915/bdc4863dea06175461939e768a91be54b557988e/2020-guidance-note-21may2020-final2.pdf
https://www.shell.com.ph/motorists/campaigns-and-promotions.html
https://www.shell.com.ph/motorists/shell-station-locator.html