I
was eight years old Ayla.
That's the story of Raleigh thousands of other successful deals for the years along
in the history books but a lot has happened in the service station business.
Let's go back with them out to nineteen thirty and see how much we can remember
that you're a little younger that you said it but I can remember
that old places if it were yesterday it was the first drive in station built in our
town and it was good enough to make me proud to have my name up on the old sign.
Lubrication was not our long shot but we could do it. If customers insisted.
But gasoline. Boy I had them.
The only reason I didn't have more brands was I didn't have room for any more.
This one was the favorite It was regular with most of my customers
but there was another one
that the folks with high compression engines went for high compression the highest
was only about five to one. But as so sure made those cars go.
I'll bet you didn't guess that within a few years that little word E.-S. S..
Was going to be one of the best known trade names in the world.
No I didn't
but it was good enough for me I decided to cut out the competitive brands some
fellows thought you'd lose business with just one brand
but my business got better and that name. S.-O. Started going places.
It wasn't long before it was up on the station sign.
That's right around the nineteen thirty one with another name started climbing into
world wide popularity.
Remember that one bad that was my first experience in selling tires as they.
Put it over it was the company guarantee behind it.
Sure a guarantee
that your customers knew you would be honored by any of your fellow dealers
handling Atlas tires. We had plenty of oil in cans too.
You know big cans with problems on top of.
And there were plenty of hot arguments between the asphalt base boys
and the paraffin based boosters
that argument was settled in nineteen thirty two when the company announced.
Absolutely. The first motor oil
that combined all the good qualities of both asphalt and paraffin based types.
That was an important event in petroleum refining
and it was the first time the word Nestle appeared in its present familiar form
and was used this part of a product name. Absolutely.
Released from the mad
when the jury of Dr Seuss such wacky months the zero Daucus
and the oil will gobble us the carbonara the moto munches.
Motorists last.
On
and came back for more S O's popularity was coming up fast as nine hundred thirty
three ushered in the year
that was to be an outstanding milestone in the entire history of the service
station business.
Motor vehicle registrations had reached a high of more than twenty three million
gas taxes had reached a new high to both motorists on the petroleum industry what
concerns national events was startling in their impact the New Deal.
The bank moratorium. Repeal.
But the biggest headline for Esso dealers was this one which kicked off the
announcement of a plan for a uniform identification of all stations selling S.-O.
Products from Maine to Louisiana. That was really something new.
It sure was. I felt like we were losing a friend
when we covered up the old sign with a banner that said as so dealer
but later on when they put up our permanent new sign.
We knew right off the bat
that the S O O was the best identification sign in the business by far right
and to back up
that uniform identification game a unique blend of co-operative advertising
and sales promotion for dealers covering newspaper ads direct mail
and window display material. And the very next month came. Absolutely.
The first motor fuel containing patented solvent oil.
Almost a fuel guaranteeing smoother performance. Thousands of motorists tried S.-O.
Lame and became regular customers for S O dealers as part of their program to help.
So dealers become better merchandisers S.-O.
Market has brought out in thirty three three films on product information
and selling know your products. S.-O.
Salesmanship and so station selling a new form of sales help
and training which has continued ever since then or salesmanship
and better service became the author of the day
that runaways like other dealers started to become urchin Di's minded if you put in
an island store I didn't trim out. Yes I did it help to sell accessories.
I put in modern pumps too and rebuilt the windows for display.
I remember trying to put in my first window display
and wishing I'd left the windows the way they were I decided merchandising had its
disadvantages but the results weren't so bad that we sold a lot of you know Flo
that winter and a lot of arrow type S. So the next winter.
So if your kept us on the jump with new products those products kept the jump on
competition to refinery output went up two hundred fifty percent to meet the demand
for arrow type S. So.
Nineteen thirty five gave birth to four things
that has been growing ever said the first clause.
Happy Motoring and everybody knows
that happy motoring has become one of the great selling slogans of our time next
big thing in thirty five was the verified S.-O.
Lubrication the first complete episode deal lubrication merchandising plan for
those dealers properly stop them equipped to handle it did that include you Matt.
Well no but I stuck my neck out.
I borrowed the dough to build two Lou bays and hired an extra man
but I made money on my loop department almost from the start.
Third big event in one nine hundred thirty five was the birth of Eso motor oil
success to unify all in the premium price to feel this improved motor oil was so
far ahead of competition in viscosity index
that it couldn't even be measured in regular essay A rating no competitive oil from
that day to this.
Has met the challenge of this great product for a major happening in one hundred
thirty five was the opening flash of the S.-O.
Extra topping all of the news broadcasts in time on the air.
This unique feature became your S.O.
Reporter a lot of history was made in the fast moving years
that followed by nine hundred thirty nine motor vehicle registrations
that climb to more than thirty one million.
United States petroleum production top one in the water billion barrels a year.
Gasoline taxes collected from the motorist was fast approaching a billion dollars a
year in thirty nine The New York
and San Francisco of playing host to the world with the glittering pharaohs
Pennsylvania was building the world's greatest nonstop super turnpike
and Esso research and engineering.
Giving birth to a brand new set of twins for Eso dealers.
Those lucky twins are the new S O S O extra.
Scooping the field in product quality.
Dealers with cashing in on the sales value of uniform identification products
appeared under the S.-O. Label.
A new type of son was introduced to dealers eager to cash in on increased highway
travel after dark with this tremendous range of visibility.
But a new Darkness was beginning to spread across the face of the earth the clouds
of war.
Uncle Sam diverted many American tankers to carry across the Atlantic with
resulting shortage of gasoline for much of our own market. S.-O.
Market is allowed to help build a transportation facilities fast new tank is will
rush to completion big steel pipelines were built to share the load growing
shortages of materials
and parts for automobile upkeep gave birth to another great new S.-O.
Dealer selling slogan.
Saves wear
and so dealers everywhere went all out to help keep America's cars rolling in their
own profits from falling off. You did a good job on air saves wear a mask.
Well I sure tried and that slogan made selling a lot easier.
We really went to town on lubrication and service items believe it or not.
That was the first time I ever used newspaper ads.
If you're surprised me on many people read our local newspaper my ads brought in
folks I had never seen before.
I guess what was done was Pearl Harbor an
explosion
that reverberated around the world changed the world for all of us over night.
Tojo was sitting on the world's rubber supply tires were gone all became vital
ammunition. Every drop was precious.
Wartime speed limits were posted on every highway to save on tires
and car switching tires to equalise where became a new service for S O dealers
and then came rationing with all its headaches.
Here was a kind of final decision for every American including every S.-O.
Dealer.
Many How do one trust their businesses to their wives or employees
or close their doors some dealers who thought of their business.
Only in terms of gasoline volume turned to other occupations.
But service minded dealers realize
that they could do more for their customers in the war effort by keeping America's
automobiles rolling.
Dealers had plenty of chances to get into the fight right at home.
Motorists weren't going places those days but their sons and husbands
and sweethearts were. So wore maps made a lot of friends.
And while our boys were invading enemy territory.
We had an invasion of our own gremlins those pests really made trouble as cars
got older and that So dealers made extra profit by running them down.
Another great new selling slogan hit the highways save that car that's
when I started using my own spots on our local radio save
that car save money do with Matt always complete at the location check up service.
It surprise me again how many people listen to the radio. You bet they do.
Plenty of them listening in.
When the other explosion rocked the world Pearl Harbor was a vent in
the. Age had begun but Russians thought of motorists.
Well far more interested in gasoline than an Addams
and Essau was ready with New know how gain from years of war research
and great refineries able to convert almost overnight to peacetime output
within twenty four hours or so against the nation
and announcing two great new super fuels on the way to Esso dealers remember Max.
You bet and brother was it sweet music to hear that old filler up again
but folks who had joy victory pipe dream of new cars for everybody who are in for a
rude awakening.
When folks really started hitting the road again those old jalopies just couldn't
take it. Our service business kept growing and believe me I was glad
when we could get materials to modernize my station the way I had worked out with
my ASOS salesman. Well when you stop and think a lot as happened twenty years.
Yep our service today isn't much like it was when I started or our products either.
It was tops then but it's gotten better and better over the years.
And what a difference between the oils we carried then and the new S. O.
Extra motor oil we have now.
Maybe you haven't thought much about it
but your own progress has been just as great.
Your Business from a small filling station into one of the important merchandising
establishment in your town from just another young man starting out in the service
station business you have grown to be one of your town's most respected citizen.
And this has happened not only to Yuma in essence your story is the experience of
thousands of other successful so dealers away from Maine to Louisiana.
Yes ALL lot has happened to all of us in twenty years.
Come along the way there is even in still.