YPF

YPF is the big Argentine energy company people associate with oil, gas and fuel retail rather than with a single polished consumer brand. By our assessment, its strongest point is scale: it spans upstream activity, refining, transport, service stations and the kind of fuel supply that keeps a country’s roads and industry moving. The drawback is that a business this tied to hydrocarbons is exposed to commodity swings and the usual pressure that comes with that sector. In practice, YPF is less a neat logo than a network of wells, refineries and stations, so the company reads as infrastructure first and branding second. Compared with smaller fuel distributors it has far more reach and political weight, but also a heavier public profile. It is the obvious name for people who need Argentine oil and fuel coverage, and not the one for anyone looking for a low-key clean-tech story.