Customer loyalty has always been important to
a successful business . I believe it was during the
1930's that most , if not all of the major oil companies
began to give away these licence plate add-ons . Call it a fad if you wish
, but I have heard that these were quite popular in their day as automobile
owners proudly displayed the name and logo of the petroleum
products they preferred .
My first thought was that it may not be a wise idea to
pull into a gas station with a competitors logo openly displaying your
first choice , but it may have had just the opposite effect. Possibly the
station owner worked extra hard to impress you and earn your business.
Quite often these licence plate attachments were reflectorized
and added a measure of safety
in the days when many cars had only one tail light and
it wasn't the best.
Rumor has it they were also a popular addition for the
young neighbourhood bicyclists.
