Kofi Cephas Writes: How Goil’s pricing shift exposes a bigger lesson about brand loyalty in Ghana (opinion)

The fuel market didn’t switch overnight. It was building quietly. For years in Ghana, many people bought fuel based on habit. Some chose GOIL PLC because of trust, familiarity, national presence, and the emotional connection of being a homegrown brand. Others chose Star Oil because of one simple thing; PRICE.

That battle has always existed quietly in the minds of consumers: trust vs value.

But what we are seeing now is something deeper. Customers remember value gaps.

When people believe a brand had the ability to give them relief earlier but didn’t, loyalty starts to shake. Once trust is questioned, price becomes the loudest voice in the room.

This reminds me of a friend of mine who owns a GOIL Go-Card. For years, he was a loyal customer because the card made life easier and the brand already had his trust. Recently, he told me something interesting; he now goes to GOIL stations, withdraws money from the card, and then buys fuel from Star Oil or other OMCs.

Think about that for a second.

A customer still uses your system, but no longer chooses your main product. That means convenience kept him close, but value pulled him away. That is how loyalty starts weakening quietly before brands even notice it.

Now that some consumers are seeing GOIL become cheaper than private OMCs once known for affordability, many are asking:

“If this was possible now, why not before?”

That question is dangerous for any brand.

Because brand equity is not only built through adverts, sponsorships, patriotic messaging, or years in the market. Brand equity is also built through how customers feel you treated them in difficult moments.

This is where many brands make mistakes. They assume loyalty is permanent. It is not. Loyalty is strong, but it is fragile. If you give competitors enough time to own a key customer pain point; whether price, speed, convenience, or innovation; they can slowly shake the bond customers had with you.

And once customers start trying alternatives, many realize they were loyal by routine, not by conviction.

Brand loyalty can buy you time, but it cannot replace perceived fairness forever. If customers feel another brand understands their daily struggles better, they will move.

Customers don’t just compare prices. They compare behavior. They remember who showed up for them when times were hard.

Never allow your competitor to consistently own the conversation around your customer’s biggest need. If they do, they won’t just take market share; they will weaken the emotional relationship you built over years.

The market didn’t move suddenly. It was listening, observing, calculating… and now responding. For me, in all these, i wish the prices go back to less than 10gh per litre. 

- Kofi Cephas, Brand Strategist