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Billboards

Signage is a confusing topic. Personally I have blanked out on it to a great extent and to advertizing, too. I'm still thinking about it so I want some feedback. Lets think about billboards [and include trucks with billboard sides as you contemplate]. Do they impact you? Would you shop in a particular place because of them? stay at a certain hotel? eat at a particular restaurant? And then the big question anyway is, can you absorb all the information they offer as you travel along the highways? Do you want to interrupt your thinking to bother? Or like me just ignore them. Or do I? Am I getting it subliminally and therefore do I really seek out the hotel, restaurant or what every unbeknownst as to exactly why I'm drawn there? I can't believe it. More seriously, I believe the "Empire has no clothes" and our friends that advertize thistle are just trying to keep up with the other guys and have never really asked for an up to date assessment of their impact. They haven't thought it out and they are scared to be the first to stop. Ask us. Do a survey. Stop and lets talk it out. Just don't accept what the advertizing world is selling you.

A number of things have caused be to ponder this matter recently. Our friend in Summerside that is trying to bring the Provincial Government to its knees on our bill signage laws. He parks a truck of some sort or other on the Trans Canada Highway outside of Summerside advertizing his restaurant in town. A definite off- premise sign. Would it encourage you to go to his restaurant? It just makes me mad. Are we not lucky to be able to look at landscape on this Island rather than being over-dozed by personal [selfish] advertizing?! How dare he interfere with our peace. Recently as some of you know I was in Victoria BC. A beautiful God gifted Island, without a question. Pretty little airport in a nice space. Then you drive along the highway to town and about five miles along you come upon wall to wall billboards. Ugly. Actually it is an Indian Reservation with different rules, but so many of the Victoria businesses play the game. Is it possible that they get more business because of it? That is the debate. I cannot believe they do. It is so awful. We had a touch of it on the way to the bridge in NB. Answer me, did it give any of you more business?

Montague has taken the "bull by the horns" and said no to flashy signs and I applaud them and I can not believe that our Provincial Government will go soft on the provincial legislation either. Please pray that they don't - if you agree with any of my concerns talk about it, let me know or tell people in positions to do something or debate it at least. .


Written Monday, January 15, 2001 at 10:22 PM




(c) 2000 by Catherine Hennessey. Questions or comments? Email me@catherinehennessey.com

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