A trip to the outhouse. April 1, 2008
Posted by ourfriendben in wit and wisdom.Tags: billboard ad campaigns, billboards, Outhouse Springs bottled water
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Our friend Ben was driving into the little town of Kutztown, PA yesterday, lamenting the billboards that blocked the view and marred the beautiful rural scenery along Route 222. Must one be subjected to that?!! Keep it on the television, people!
It occurred to our friend Ben that, despite its unintentional humor, I couldn’t even recall if the Turkey Hill billboard ad promoting Jamaica Me Crazy coffee at the entrance to Kutztown was still in evidence. (Turkey Hill is a local convenience-store chain.) The humor of the billboard actually made our friend Ben notice it, as opposed to just cursing it, when driving into town, since the thrust of the ad is that purchasers of a cup of Turkey Hill coffee can take a mental mini-vacation to Jamaica. But they got the coffee’s name wrong. It’s one of our favorites, Jamaican Me Crazy. Get it?!! Guess the Turkey Hill ad managers didn’t.
Now, if I couldn’t even remember if a billboard ad I found amusing was still up, our friend Ben feels that the state of billboard advertising must be in sorry shape indeed. However, pondering this reminded me of one billboard ad campaign that was truly unforgettable. I hope it inspires fond memories, or at least a guffaw, for you as well.
A few years ago, as our friend Ben traversed the roads of what is collectively known as Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, I began to notice some unusual billboards going up. They were advertising bottled water, then a trend that was rapidly moving from pretty hot to red hot. So it was not the product that was attention-getting (”Oh God! Another brand of bottled water?!”), but the name of the product: Outhouse Springs.
Huh?!! The billboard went on to show the product’s logo (yup, an outhouse) and a slogan: “America’s first recycled water.” Um… gulp. Surely not! But if not, then what?
As the weeks passed, other billboards promoting Outhouse Springs bottled water appeared, with new and ever-more-astounding slogans, including “People love us but they won’t shake our hands” and our friend Ben’s favorite, “We’re #1 not #2.” OMG.
Needless to say, our friend Ben and company could not stop looking—and laughing—at these ads. They really punctured the pomposity of the bottled-water industry, which was not only promoting the production and trashing of untold amounts of plastic, but has been proven repeatedly to sell products with less purity than tap water. But who could afford to mount a campaign like that? Our friend Ben speculated that a local billboard company had partnered with a local college’s graphics design program to encourage creativity in its students, rewarding the winning student with a billboard promotion and resume boost (and hopefully a scholarship).
The truth proved more surprising. Turns out that Adams Outdoor Advertising, a big billboard company, devised and launched the Outhouse Springs campaign, beginning in Charleston, South Carolina, and moving into other markets as acclaim for the billboards spread. Given that the campaign was not selling an actual product, simply promoting billboard awareness, even our friend Ben has to extend kudos to Adams for having the courage to go forward. Too bad more ads don’t take risks like this. Even today, remembering, our friend Ben is laughing.
What a great idea for a campaign. It would certainly get my attention.
We don’t see many billboards in our neck of the woods, unless we travel on the thruway, or into the cities. I’ve never seen any that funny though. Great entertainment!
They *were* funny, Kerri–I was actually sad to see them go!
That’s so funny. The only somewhat interesting billboards we have had in these parts in the past few years were those god says billboards. At least they were interesting.
You’re right, Deb–I’d forgotten those “God says” billboards, but they were eyecatching and funny, too. And there was a more serious one here that showed a tap with running water that became a glass of wine–unforgettable.
Funny in an ironic sort of way, given the current trend against bottled water. It seems to me that in the list of corporate villians we have moved from tobacco to oil, and next will be bottled water companies.
Interesting hypothesis, Jean Ann! I’m not sure bottled water will come in for that kind of attack, given concerns about the availability of water in general. It may have already come in for as much abuse as it’s going to get. I suspect that pharmaceutical companies are more likely to continue to be targeted, given the price of medications, and health insurance companies for the same reason. Interesting that tobacco came under attack chiefly from people who didn’t use it, and oil, pharmaceuticals, and health care because we all *must* use them…