Native Intelligence: How the 76 ball was saved

How the 76 ball was saved

Jacob Soboroff • Bio • Email

When Kim Cooper discovered ConocoPhillips' new "oasis" design for its 76 brand stations meant lollipop-style signs, no spherical 76 balls and a new red color scheme, she swung into action and started savethe76ball.com. Still, ConocoPhillips didn't return her calls. Would they really choose to ignore the thousands of 76 ball fans from across the globe that visited her site and signed a petition to save the familiar orange balls?

Guess not. Last week Cooper got the news she was looking for on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. While ConocoPhillips didn't decide to change course and go back to the orange color scheme, up to three dozen of the iconic orange balls -- first introduced at the 1962 World's Fair -- will now be sent to museums and preserved as a piece of American design history. In a strange twist, ConocoPhillips also decided that up to 100 of the orange balls will now be replaced by -- get this -- red 76 balls!

In my video report, I take you inside the struggle to save the 76 ball -- from from Atwater Village to Ontario -- and introduce you to Kim, her colleague Nathan Marsak, and perhaps the most important player in this drama -- a guy by the name of J. Eric Freedner. Take a look:

January 30, 2007 03:57 PM • Native Intelligence • Email the editor

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