Is a sign just a sign — or can it be more? Burma Shave proved that signs can become attention-getting entertainment too! In this light-hearted article, Jack Burke looks at signs and asks you to share some of your favorite sign stories with us.
A recent conversation with an insurance agency owner, Jimmy Dunn of
Clarksville, Tennessee
, prompted a discussion about marquee signage. No, not your company name and logo, but attention-getting signs.
Perhaps the best-known signs of days gone by were the Burma Shave signs that peppered our roadways in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Each message was posted over the course of five signs — one line of the message per sign.
For instance:
Sign 1 — Don’t lose your head
Sign 2 — To gain a minute
Sign 3 — You need your head
Sign 4 — Your brains are in it!
Sign 5 — Shave
Or:
Brother speeder
Let’s rehearse
All together
Good morning, nurse.
Shave
These advertising witticisms of the road often gave way to storefront signs. I recall a printing shop in
Cleveland
that was along the bus route I took to high school. Each week the printer would put a new sign in the window — a joke, a political comment, or an advertising slogan. Regardless of the topic, the sign was always witty. It’s a miracle that the bus didn’t tip over on Monday mornings, as everyone would move to one side to get a better look at the new weekly message. Decades later, I was visiting
Cleveland
and drove down that same street. As I approached the intersection where the print shop had been located, I found myself looking for a sign in the window. Unfortunately the printer was long gone, but the impact of his advertising remained.
More recently here in
Los Angeles
, two lumberyards located across the street from each other developed 'dueling signs'. One was a commercial lumberyard, the other retail — and what the general public didn’t know was that they both shared the same owner. This wise entrepreneur has kept that fact a secret and built a humorous, attention-getting battle of the signs between the two.
One’s sign might say:
Holy Flash Flood! Noah received his lumber from us.
The other’s sign would quickly reply:
The truth is that Noah returned their lumber, and bought ours.
When the commercial yard posted a sign saying, 'Open Saturdays till Noon,' the retail yard replied with 'Only Wimps Close at Noon on Saturdays.'
Sometimes they’d call a cease-fire, such as after 9/11 when a sign went up saying, 'Our Bins Are Ladin with Nuts and Loose Screws,'
Bottom line is that like Burma Shave, some companies still gain attention and build traffic by signage. Jimmy Dunn, who prompted this article, has become known for his annual Snowman in front of the agency — as well as some witty sign postings.
Do you use this age-old method of advertising at your agency? Do some of your clients use it to promote their business? How about sharing your stories for future newsletters by sending your signage experiences to me at [email protected]?
No matter the price
No matter how new
The best safety device
In the car is YOU!
Shave.