Historic South Texas ranch relies on social media, licensing to broaden relevance

With a legacy dating back 163 years, the King Ranch enjoys a reputation forged through the vision, hard work and loyalty of generations of family members and employees. Bill Gardiner ’76 believes maintaining the company’s iconic brand is critical to the ranch’s continued success in the face of economic and environmental challenges.

In a presentation to Mays Business School’s Business Honors students, the senior vice president and chief financial officer of King Ranch, Inc. said the company brand is built on the King family’s legacy and the ranch’s reputation and livestock as well as its famous logo. Gardiner, who received an accounting degree from Texas A&M University, said the company’s brand promise is to “share the unique history of uncompromising quality and integrity.”

However, Gardiner said care needs to be taken to maintain and extend a company’s brand. Gardiner, who has been with the company since 1996, noted that many individuals and businesses would like to use the King Ranch’s well-known logo on their products. “People want to be associated with something that is real and authentic,” he said, pointing to the company’s well-known collaboration with Ford Motor Company on the F150 King Ranch truck. However, King Ranch’s leaders also regularly protect their brand through taking appropriate legal action to stop unauthorized users.

A strong brand is not a given; a company also can easily destroy or ignore its brand, which causes the brand to drift away. Gardiner pointed to Buick, which lost its footing as one of the nation’s premier automobile companies after its heyday in the 1960s. He noted that the company is now spending millions of dollars to create advertising to revamp its brand to appeal to younger generations.

Understanding the value of sharing the King Ranch’s brand with new generations, the company embraces the opportunities inherent in social media. Two decades ago the King Ranch was primarily known by white men over the age of 50; now the company is active on Facebook, YouTube and Google+. “Social media has been a godsend to us,” Gardiner said, adding that a King Ranch video about its quarter horse business accumulated 150,000 views in eight hours after being uploaded to Facebook. The Houston native also noted that a picture of two bobcats snapped during a King Ranch wildlife tour had a strong reception on Facebook.

A private company with seven divisions

Now in its seventh generation of owners, the King Ranch, Inc. is a private company that is run like a public company with the exception of SEC filings. Gardiner describes King Ranch as “a land-based agriculture production resource management company.” The ranch was founded on the strength of its cattle business, but diversified into oil production in the mid-1930s. It then expanded into farming, followed by citrus farming in 1993. Its primary niche is livestock and crops. The company has seven core business areas: ranching and wildlife, Texas farming, Florida farming, citrus, retail, minerals and corporate activities, and owns properties in Texas and Florida. The diversity helps the company remain viable during off years caused by drought or other agricultural issues.

Business Honors major Frances Andrews ’19 said Gardiner’s most impactful statements came toward the end of his talk. “He told us that confidence is one of the most important qualities to have as you enter the business world. He said natural confidence is rare and people will want to work with you if you have this.”