Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Stop, Drop, and STARE

I was driving to the grocery store the other day and saw a billboard out of my driver's-side window.  I did a double take, puzzled.

On the left hand side of the billboard is a picture of a man's profile. I guessed the man's age to be about 50ish and he is wearing a suit. You can glimpse his tie, crisp white shirt, and suit jacket. His face-shown in profile-is scrunched up and his eyes closed. He is puckering his lips as if to give someone (presumably his mother-in-law) a kiss-something he finds incredibly distasteful.  At first glance, I thought it was George Bush but then common sense prevailed.

In the center of the billboard is a picture of a road leading into the distance. HUH?!?!  Obviously I am missing something important.

On the right hand side of the billboard is an older woman, obviously the mother-in-law, with a sour puss expression on her face.  She really does look like she just sucked on a lemon. She is facing straight but her eyes are on her son-in-law to her left.  She doesn't look to thrilled to be kissed by this man.  Her eyebrows are penciled in and her make-up is a little heavy handed.  She looks like "that" older woman who goes to the salon once a week to have her hair set and sprays so much hairspray in her hair that it gets her through the week until she goes back to the salon.

At the bottom of the billboard was the website www.kissyourmotherinlaw.com. 

If you had seen this billboard what would you have thought the website was for???????????

As soon as I got to the grocery store, I did what any self-respecting woman would do and called her husband and asked him to check out the website. I could have done it on my phone but he could do it faster.

I thought it was maybe a gift site with wacky gifts for mother-in-laws and moms since Mother's Day was right around the corner, a site dedicated to fun stories about moms and mother-in-laws, and the list went on.

My husband came back on the phone and proclaimed that I was a sucker.  Was I? Yup.  Want to know what the website was for?

A local car dealership.

The depth of my disappointment knew no bounds.  I thought it would be something somewhat entertaining. The only road I was on was the road to lameville. I was a sucker. I should have known it would be for a car dealership.  The only thing they were trying to sell was cars.

On the bright side, the billboard made me smile.

This reminded me of a billboard down the road from where we used to live a few years ago.  It was for Outhouse Springs. Outhouse was a fake product that was created to show how successful outdoor marketing (billboards) could be.  In fact, it supposedly became a real product due to the huge attention it drew.  I can't help it.  Blame my warped sense of humor.  This still makes me laugh.

 
Have you ever seen a billboard that was memorable?!?!  What was it?

(I tried to find a picture of the billboard for the car dealership online but couldn't find one.  Darn.  I am to embarrassed to stop on the side of the road to take a picture.  Sorry, folks.)

15 comments:

Kel said...

Didn't see the car dealership coming. I was thinking retirement home.

Karen said...

Great post and I would have been led in the same direction you were. It wouldn't have crossed my mind that they were trying to sell cars. What are you suppose to kiss your mother-in-law with the front end of a buick grill? They probably got tons of hits on their site because of that advertising.

Like you I'm always checking out the billboards. Don't think that they have changed to much here recently. There is one that makes a lot of sense on the interstate. It is from a funeral parlor and the only thing it says is "Drive Carefully, We Can Wait!"

Looking forward to reading your blog and am following you.

Buckeroomama said...

I used to work in advertising, so I've seen my share of "creative" works... Maybe that is why I'm a bit desensitized to ads. :)

Anonymous said...

I totally would have checked out that website as well! That is really funny.

I suppose they have got to get people interested one way or another!

Pam said...

The billboard sounds hilarious but not sure how it related to the car dealership. :)
I loved your post about learning to drive. I have memories of my mom doing the same with the foot stomping.
Following you from MBC also.

Joy@TPMG said...

It was pretty funny! I think the only thing that related to driving was the pic of the road. The guy on the billboard apparently was the owner of the car dealership. I am only hoping that really wasn't his MIL!

Unknown said...

I would have checked the website also... I never would have guessed car dealership though!!
Thanks for stopping by and following my blog! I'm a new follower of yours =)

Unknown said...

You cracked me up with, "I did what any self-respecting woman would do and called her husband and asked him to check out the website." I laughed so loud I may have woke the baby!

Daisygirl said...

This cracks me up! Billboards are so strange sometimes...I really don't get the mother in law thing and how it has to do with cars? Really?

I wouldn't pull over to take a picture either, especially if its on a busy road!

Unknown said...

Haha! I seriously thought it would be for a divorce lawyer :)

I honestly can't remember any off the top of my head...although I know I have seen some catchy ones before.

Cute post!

Joy@TPMG said...

A divorce lawyer! I hadn't thought of that one. He could have been kissing his MIL goodbye:) Of course the whole not getting along with your MIL seems to be more of a stereotype. Most people I know get along with their MIL's-myself included.

parenting ad absurdum said...

Creative! I do appreciate an ad that I have to think about :).

Lourie said...

HAhahaha! I would have been suckered in also. In fact, I was. I had no idea what it would be. That being said, I DARE you to take a pic of that billboard!!!

Joy@TPMG said...

I drove by the billboard last night and in the center where the road was it said "Everybody Drives". Somehow I was transfixed by the man and woman and the website that I missed the obvious. Even noticing those words now, I still don't think I would have thought it was for a car dealership. I have to admit, I am way too into this billboard. It's becoming embarrassing:)

Robin @ Blommi said...

The old Marlboro ones were cool.

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