Send Me A Sign

I'm often wrong about fads and their cultural impact. The ones which I think are not going to last are still hanging around years later and the ones which I think will usher in a brand new way of thinking are gone before the end of the month. Billboards are a perfect example of this. I would have thought that with all the ways for marketers to get their advertisements directly to people, as well as being able to tailor them especially to the kind of audience they think would be interested in their product, the generic, throw-it-out-there-and-see-what-happens approach billboards take would have fallen to the wayside by now. But, not only are billboards still around, they are thriving. It is rare to drive by one these days which is blank because it has yet to be sold. In fact, with technology like digital billboards companies can sell the same space to multiple businesses and appear to have no trouble finding people to take them up on the offer. I may not understand it, but they are obviously effective.

With that being said, I do think a few companies would be well served to put a little more time into what they want their billboards to say. After all, unless it is located in a spot that usually has a lot of congestion, you need a message which is going to be processed by someone driving by at 60 mph. At the same time it needs to contain all the important information so that they know how to get in touch. So, it has to be succinct yet not leave anything important out, which can be a little bit of a balancing act. That was why I got so confused driving down the road the other day when I saw this on a billboard:

Be Smart. Be Healthy. Be Vegan.

Not a number to call to get more information or even a website to visit. There were no other words to let you know why this was a good idea or any of the science behind their reasoning. Hell, there wasn't even a hot vegan chick to catch my eye. Big green letters on a black background and that was it. Just three short sentences which convey all the reasons I don't like vegans: they think they are better than you. (It's the leading off with "be smart" that got me. As if by not making all the same choices as them you must be an idiot.) Nothing like acting superior to someone who didn't ask for your advice on their lifestyle as they drive by on their way to work.

While I can appreciate a direct approach, I guess I'm also confused as to who they think this billboard is going to convert. As a firmly-entrenched red-meat eater I've never even considered becoming a vegan, but I assume it is not an easy decision that one makes on a whim. You'd have to do a lot of research before making that kind of commitment. We're not talking about deciding whether or not to buy scratch tickets, which was the very next billboard on the street. I simply have a hard time picturing someone driving down the road, seeing the sign telling them they should be a vegan and just going, "You know what? They are absolutely right! As of this second, I am going vegan! Thank you, random roadside sign!" Of course that will never happen. Considering most people aren't even sure what the difference between vegan and vegetarian is to begin with, perhaps a little more clarification would be in order. The cost of the billboard is set, so it's not like you are paying by the word. An issue like this deserves at least a fourth sentence.

-Still, that billboard made a lot more sense than the sign I saw just a couple miles down the road when I came to an intersection. On three corners of the intersection were woods. On the fourth corner was a solitary bar, the only business within a several hundred yards of the light. It was a fairly modest place with a small parking lot just next to the building. Next to the parking lot was a sign which informed people that this was where they should park for the bar. As opposed to what? There was no where else to park and no where else you would be parking to go. It wasn't like you were going to annoy another business owner by parking your car in a lot which is supposed to be exclusively for their customers and then going to the bar, just like it wasn't possible for another business to take parking spaces away from the bar's customers. If you are the only store and the only parking lot for half a mile in any direction, where else would I be parking? My only guess is that they know the guy who makes the signs.