In 1930, Sinclair's advertising writers noted
that Wellsville-refined lubricants -- the
best
in the trade -- derived from Pennsylvania grade
crudes laid down more than 270 million years
earlier. These oils were mellowing in the ground
during the Mesozoic era when dinosaurs populated
the earth. The obvious sales message
was: the oldest crudes make the best oils. But
how to dramatize this?
A series of advertisements in 104 newspapers
and five national
magazines feature a dozen of
the strange dinosaurs, from hideous-fanged
tyrannosaurus rex and three-horned triceratops,
to the
unaggressive, vegetarian
apatosaurus (brontosaurus), a 40-ton lizard with neck and tail
each 30 feet long. The campaign -- confined
entirely to Wellsville oils -- was a great
success. The curiosity value of it was
tremendous.
But there was a significant and unexpected
windfall. One of the dinosaurs generated a
remarkable popular appeal, in
fact was a real glamour boy: peace-loving but
massive apatosaurus. The public equated him
with power, endurance and stamina, the prime
qualities of Sinclair products.
Without any particular promotion, the public
accepted the apatosaurus affectionately as
Sinclair's "Dino." He's been Dino ever since.
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Evolution of the
Company Symbol