From Stern Oil to STERN: building a regional energy brand
In 2019, this family-owned fuel distributor had good products and loyal customers, but very little marketing behind them. Seven years later, STERN has one recognizable brand on every truck, sign, screen and search result across its territory.
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STERN (Stern, Inc.), Freeman, SD — fuel, propane, lubricants and fuel services across South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and parts of Minnesota and Wyoming. Partner since 2019.
ServicesBrand strategy and renaming, brand identity, website, SEO, Google Ads, Meta ads, Google Business Profile management, video, print and direct mail, fleet and signage graphics, app branding.
The results, by the numbers
Where they started
Stern Oil Co. had served Midwest farms, fleets and homes for decades, but its brand hadn’t kept up with its growth. The company’s look and message changed from truck to truck and location to location, its website undersold the business, and many buyers in its own territory didn’t know everything it offered.
Like most rural energy companies, it also needed a steady flow of drivers and technicians.
The plan
Renamed and rebuilt the brand
After a planning session and a naming process that included Stern’s own team, the company kept the family name and dropped “Oil,” because it had grown into far more than oil. Stern Oil Co. became STERN, with a new logo, brand guide, messaging, fleet graphics and collateral.
Launched a website that works like a salesperson
The new stern.co includes online ordering, product and program pages for fuel, propane and lubricants, and a careers section with online applications. In its first eight months, website traffic rose 219%, and four recruiting campaigns brought in 148 applicants in six months.
Extended the brand to every product line and location
Lubricants and fuel-polishing sub-brands, propane programs, co-branded Mobil Delvac campaigns, a company-values campaign, a convenience store opening and new-location rebrands all launched under one STERN look.
Built a regional digital footprint
Ongoing SEO, Google Business Profiles for every location, conversion tracking on every call, order, form and application, and year-round search and social advertising.
Told the story on video
Propane ads, a harvest-season farmer testimonial and a 2026 brand campaign built on reliability, trust and family: “STERN — Energy you can count on.”
Brought fuel delivery to customers’ phones
We branded and supported the launch of GetFuel2U, STERN’s on-demand fuel delivery app.
What changed
- stern.co has logged 5,289 tracked customer actions, including 1,696 online orders and 2,634 click-to-call leads.
- In 2026 so far, contact form leads have already passed the full-year total for 2024.
- The 2026 propane search campaign turned 22% of clicks into leads.
- A Delvac Days promotion generated 1,287 search clicks, 52 leads and 80,000+ social impressions in one promotional window.
- Visits from Iowa rose 87% from 2022 to 2025, matching STERN’s push into northwest Iowa.
“NUREV came in as a true partner, not just an agency. They helped us evolve with modern branding and web design.”
— Scott Stern, STERN
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