Billboard Bewilderment – Reflections on Advertising Options

Billboards. Driving across the Midwest has caused me to focus on the painted, wrapped and digital signs that adorn the highways. (In Missouri on Super Tuesday, seven billboards will announce voting results to drivers, proving only that Missouri is conscious of the effect of billboards.) Consider the message on billboards; it may cause you to wonder what are people thinking?

I’m referring to the signs that have multiple lines of type on them; I haven’t a clue what was said as I was going 80 miles an hour down the freeway. Special type faces cause similar problems with difficulty in quick reading. Is that a problem? Does everyone else know what the sign says or do people simply pass it often enough that they finally figure it out?

Billboardom, the funny billboards blog offers a collection of creative and funny billboards and other outdoor/ambient advertising published since 2005. You can browse any number of postings and judge for yourself how businesses use billboards. Another posting offers an unusual juxtaposition of billboards, with one pitching violence right next to another touting peace.

As blogger Ramney Winnipeg of Manitoba, Canada puts it:

“Let’s face it: we’re all walking billboards.Everything you put on is a
reflection of your taste, style, and aesthetic sense. Deciding what styles you
like, what messages you want to share with other people, or what brands or
companies you want to advertise on your chest, are all decisions that you may
not realize you’re making.You are what you wear.How conscious are you of the
brands you choose to purchase? Are you comfortable endorsing these products? Are
you mindful of the messages they are portraying through you?”

And that leads me back to my original position: what are people thinking?