The beauty of billboards

OAKVILLE, ONT.—Maybe this is a sign I’m getting old, but it always pleases me when, in this age of high-tech communication strategies, an “old-fashioned” tactic manages to score a huge public relations success. So when I learned recently that a political message plastered on a billboard—an ancient medium of communication if ever there was one—had generated lots of media attention and controversy, it sort of made my day. The story goes like this: a pro-“Wexit” group called Alberta Fights Back recently erected around the province of Alberta, billboards that featured a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau next to the text: “Lock him Up!” Okay, I’m not going to debate the merits of the group’s message here; my point is simply that in terms of public relations tactics, these billboards did their job; i.e., they generated lots of free publicity for Alberta Fights Back. Indeed, not long after the billboards were put up, CTV news posted a story on its website with the provocative headline: “Anti-Trudeau billboards advertising Alberta Wexit campaign cause uproar.” Of course, once you read the accompanying article, it turns out the “uproar” consisted of exactly one person complaining about the billboards on Twitter, but no matter, the message and, hence, the group behind the message had suddenly become a national story. And not to be outdone, the CBC also put a spotlight on the billboards with a story headlined: “After anti-Trudeau billboards spark outrage, ad company says it will re-evaluate vetting process.” Now, despite the fact that the media is clearly putting a negative spin on the billboards, using words like “offensive” to describe them, if I’m heading up Alberta Fights Back, I’d still be ecstatic with all this coverage. First off, it gives Alberta Fights Back a certain degree of credibility, which will help when it comes to tapping its base for donations, the fundraising message being: “Look at how we are making media waves, we’re getting our message out, we’re a serious group, send us more money.” Secondly, media coverage could translate into new recruits for the group. In short, the media-generated controversy surrounding the billboard is helping Alberta Fights Back achieve its goals. Actually, just writing this is giving me a sense of déjà vu because when I was a communications director for a pro-free-market advocacy group called the National Citizens' Coalition, I was a huge fan of using billboards to promote our messages. As a matter of fact, billboard messaging was one of my chief strategies in the 1990s to skewer the policies of then Ontario premier Bob Rae. I know this tactic was effective because Rae actually made a point to note our billboards in his memoirs which means they must have made an impression. Anyway, I liked using billboards because I knew, if they had an eye-catching graphic and a punchy concise message (eight or nine words is about right), there was a good chance of capturing the media’s interest. Why? Well, billboards make for good visuals and the media is always on the lookout for stories that have a strong visual component. This is why when you put up a political billboard, the real target isn’t people driving by in their cars; it’s reporters with cameras. What also makes billboard advertising attractive, especially for a smaller group without a lot of money, is it can be a relatively inexpensive medium. Mind you, billboards might not be as trendy as, say, a social media campaign but, as the PR success of Alberta Fights Back proves, they can still work. I guess the classics just never go out of style. Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant. The Hill Times

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The beauty of billboards

Why when you put up a political billboard, the real target isn’t people driving by in their cars; it’s reporters with cameras.

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