March 11, 2006

Save the 76 Balls!

As you may know, oil giant ConocoPhillips (dba Unocal) recently began a rebranding of their Union 76 chain of gas stations, and is quietly pulling down the iconic orange and blue balls that have represented the company since 1962. The signs are in the process of being replaced by a less-deserving "monument-style" sign in red and blue. This change promoted the circulation of a petition in January 2006, and a web-based campaign to "Save Ray's Ball's."

Union 76 is famous for its signs, which are large orange balls with '76' written on them and many were designed to rotate when the sign was lit. The first such sign was designed by Union 76 Creative Director, Ray Pedersen for the Seattle World's Fair in 1962. Pedersen is now behind the effort to Save The 76 Ball, started by Los Angeles-based bloggers Kim Cooper and Nathan Marsak. Cooper and Marsak, better known for 1947Project, Scram Magazine, and Los Angeles Neon, started an online petition and boycott campaign to Save the 76 Ball in January 2006.

The campaign has received coverage on the BBC, LA Business Journal, Brandweek, OC Weekly, KTLA, KFI, and KIRO radio Seattle. In response to all the media attention, ConocoPhillips finally issued the following statement:

ConocoPhillips is implementing a nationwide transition of its 76, Phillips 66 and Conoco branded stations to a common image. The intent of this transition is to leverage the strengths of each brand while also offering consistency in appearance across our brands. Thus, the formerly orange 76 logo is now red.

We appreciate motorists' loyalty to the orange and blue ball, and hope they will continue to use ConocoPhillips' gasolines and motor products. Though our look is a little different, the quality of our products and our commitment to our customers remains the same.

Regards,
Lara Campbell ConocoPhillips Communications and Public Affairs

If you would like to support the campaign and learn more about the 76 Balls, be sure to visit http://www.savethe76ball.com. There you can sign the online petition, contribute images to the website, and share your comments.

See additional coverage at:

Can we have our balls back, please?
"The so-called "76 Balls" are the distinctive signs of Union 76 petrol stations, but the historic spheres are under threat, prompting a web-based plea for their preservation reminiscent of the effort to save London's double-decker Routemaster buses..."



If you have a comment, or would like to post a link or article, please use the online form at:  http://www.preservela.com/contact.html