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76 Gas Stations |
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76 (formerly Union 76) is a chain of gas stations located within the United States. The 76 brand is owned by Phillips 66 Company. Union Oil Company of California, dba Unocal, the original owner and creator of the Union 76 brand merged with Chevron Corporation in 2005. In 1997, Unocal sold its western United States refining and marketing operations and the rights to the Union 76 brand for use in refining and marketing operations to Tosco Corporation. Tosco has since been purchased by Phillips Petroleum, which merged with Conoco to form ConocoPhillips. As of May 1, 2012, the "76" brand is owned by the Phillips 66 Company. Unocal continued to own the "76" trademark for use in its operations, with the exception of the divested Refining and Marketing business. On August 10, 2005, Unocal Corporation and Union Oil Company of California were acquired and merged into a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation. 76, Conoco, and Phillips 66 market their brand of gasoline under the brand name PROclean. The previous brand name for their gasoline was Propower. 76 gasoline stopped being marketed under the Propower name after the termination of the commercial relationship between NASCAR and 76 after the end of the 2003 season when the firm discontinued all motorsport fuels. As of October 2004, PROclean brand fuel was included onto the list of fuels recognized as "Top Tier". In the 1970s and 1980s, the company used the slogan "Go With the Spirit...the Spirit of '76." This has been shortened to "Get the Spirit". Oil (for many years based in El Segundo, California, near Los Angeles) first introduced "76" gasoline in 1932. The name referred to the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence, and was also the octane rating of the gasoline in 1932. 76 signs are orange balls with '76' written in blue on them. Many stations had the 76 ball rotate when the signs were lit up. The first such sign was designed in 1962 by advertising creative director Ray Pedersen for the Seattle World's Fair. In 2005, new corporate owners ConocoPhillips began a rebranding campaign to unify the design elements of each of the merged brands (76, Phillips, and Conoco). As a part of this re-branding, there was an initial decision to pull down all the Orange Ball signs and replace them with monument-style signs in the red orange and blue color scheme. In response to overwhelming negative publicity generated by a grassroots Save The 76 Ball campaign, ConocoPhillips backtracked on this decision in January 2007, agreeing to donate several of the classic orange 76 balls to museums and to erect approximately 100 balls in the new red orange and blue color scheme. Union 76 invented the antenna topper concept. Beginning in 1967, Union 76 distributed tens of millions of orange 76 antenna balls made out of styrofoam and other materials. |
Related Records
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PO.882.0004 - Lee Brothers Grocery and 76 Station on the corner of First and Bendigo, North Bend.
Print, Photographic
Record Type: Photo
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