Last week, a picture hit the internet showing a billboard with a friendly George W. Bush waving and asking “Miss Me Yet?” People were blogging and speculating as to whether the billboard, outside of Wyoming, Minnesota, was real or a Photo-shopped prank. Turns out, it was real!
The creators are a "group of small businessmen and individuals who just felt like Washington was against them," according to an employee of Schubert & Hoey Outdoor Advertising. The group also wishes to remain anonymous.
Aside from the clever message, the buzz over the billboard is a clear indication of how vibrant outdoor advertising can become, even in an Internet age.
"They are arguably more relevant than they ever were," says Dave Etherington, worldwide marketing director for Titan, which handles advertising on transit systems around the US. "A key thing about a billboard or a large ad ... it has the power to stop you in your stride that comes from the incongruity of seeing something in a public space where you're not conditioned to expect something."
Forget the ad, the message is something we’ve been saying for several months now. With that in mind, our graphics guy decided to take the public image and create a t-shirt and mug design with the popular slogan. The items are available now through out Cafe Press Store.
I don’t like to use blog postings as a marketing tool, but that picture of Bush with that smile and the slogan fit so perfectly that we just had to take a second and toot our own horn.
BTW: Yes, we do miss the good ol’ days. My mug is on it’s way!