Question on using humans for roadside advertising

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

I'm just curious as to why some businesses use humans to stand outside all day long holding up a sign? Is this suppose to be a more effective way to attract business? I'd like to hear what you all think. Lewis

[Gary Hodgin]

I assume that's why they do it. It does get my attention more than a normal sign but I don't think I've ever stopped and bought anything because of the advertisement. It might be a good way to let people know a new business has opened. My only thought is that I'm glad I don't have to make my living that way. They do make me thankful.

[curtis rosche]

i would think that its the size of the sign. they can put a large sign in a persons hand and pay them little money. if they put the same size sign in the ground for more than a day, the have to rent the space for the sign and depending on area, they might need a permit. people holding the sign is kind of a loop hole for some things, and you are more likely to look at a moving sign than a stationary one

[Paul Cohen]

Some towns (Tigard, Oregon for example) does not allow any signs on roads, no A-Frame signs and severely limit signs on businesses. So if you have a business that is not directly on a major street or not visible from a major street the only way to get people driving by to even know you have a business is to have a "sign spinner". The town can't restrict sign spinners because people have a 1st amendment right to hold up a sign (even if it is for a business). Having had a business in a hole off a major road the only time we got walk in business was when the sign spinners were out, we could easily measure the effect.

[Michael Ray Smith]

Yep, it's usually to get around zoning laws that restrict signage. Same idea is to put a sign on the side of a large truck and leave it in a parking lot close to the street.

[Dan Hintz]

It's the zoning law thing mentioned previously, but it also attracts more customers from the fact that it's live action. A static sign stuck in the ground doesn't attract much attention, but when someone is making a lot of motion, your eyes are naturally drawn towards it, if even for a second.

[John Coloccia]

I live in the Lancaster/Palmdale area of California for several years. Oh, how I HATED the spinners. They were practically on every corner advertising homes for sale. Apparently they made pretty good money sitting there and wobbling a sign back and forth. You know, it was kind of cute at first but when you couldn't drive the corner store without passing 10 of them, it really starts to aggravate you. Your morning drive feels like you're watching one, big commercial.

[glenn bradley]

Your morning drive feels like you're watching one, big commercial.

We're practically living one big commercial :). Its a zoning thing out here as well.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have made a lot of those, they use corrugated plastic which is a very cheap sign, and does get around laws preventing sandwich boards. One local city banned them, the business sued ad won. Since then there are places with 1-2 on every corner. If they didn't work people would stop using them, so I doubt they will go away any time soon.

[Zach England]

Every time I see one of those people I think "You know, I don't love my job, but at least I don't have THAT job."

[Belinda Barfield]

I have never gone into a business because I was influenced by a spinner, but there is one guy here in town that should be on TV in a dance competition. He is just a great dancer. Traffic actually slows down when he is out because everyone likes to watch him. Oh, and laws regulating signage are the culprit.

[Phil Thien]

Some of the tax preparation services around here have spinners dressed as Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty. Sometimes, one of them will really get into it, and do a good job interacting with people driving/walking by. They will wave, hand-out candy to stopped traffic, etc.

The spinners just standing there and looking like they're about one step from sticking the barrel of a gun in their mouth, well, they're kind of depressing and I sometimes wonder if they aren't hurting the business, more than helping it.

[John Pratt]

On the flip side, I give the business credit for doing everthing they can to drum up business and more so to the poor soul that "spins" the sign. At least the are trying to make money. As bad as the job may be, it is still a job. Rather than relying on other to give you money, they are at least trying to earn something.

[Marty Paulus]

There are a few in my area as well. I asked the owner of my local 'stop' about the use of them because the tax prep. shop down the plaza uses them and was told they actually have a line each day to do spinning thing. First one in gets the job that day. I have to give them some credit though for having the ambition to work

[Myk Rian]

We have a gold-silver store that buys your excess. They hired a fellow to stand outside with a sign. He dances all day long, and has actually been a big help to their business.
He was even put on our patch homepage.
If you watch the video, myself and Kathi are there also. We are the weight room trainers.
http://hartland.patch.com/articles/good-morning-hartland-thanksgiving#video-8531600

[Dan Friedrichs]

I make a point of not doing business with anyone who advertises that way. They're taking up the sidewalk, distracting drivers, and frankly, the signs are an eyesore.

[Ole Anderson]

I always wondered if they were the guy that works behind the counter, but is out there only on slow days. Got to be a tough job if the weather is not too good. Hey at least they aren't on welfare, they are trying, I say good for them. Around here they are either pizza joints, tax guys, gold buyers or cell phone sales places.

[Dan Hintz]

I saw a "class" of spinners one day by the side of the road. I watched while waiting for the light... one guy would do a trick, then the others attempted to repeat it.

[Moses Yoder]

It seems to me the effectiveness would depend on how thin you slice the people.

[Dave Lehnert]

Zoning. In the twp where I use to work it was $200 for a sign in the right-of-way if they allowed it. Most often they would not approve it.

[Brian Elfert]

I've seen Jiffy Lube employees holding signs out by the road for reduced price oil changes when the shop is empty.

I also make it a habit of not spending money at businesses that employ this advertising tactic. You don't see Walmart/Target/Etc advertising this way.

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

Thanks for all your comments. We have several businesses in our town here in SC that use this type advertisement, mostly gold buyers and tax preps as you all mentioned. But we don't have any zoning restrictions on signs. Mostly these people just stand there all day, holding a sign (usually with little movement). Freezing weather--holding the sign; burning heat--holding the sign. I don't know why, but it just seems to me that it's very degrading. I almost have the picture of some large man dressed in a white suit, smoking a cigar, sitting in his big chair behind his large desk, if that makes sense. I know it is putting someone to work, and if they were dancing or doing a jig or something, I might understand it more. That would be using their talent to I just don't see the benefit of having someone standing in 105 degrees just to hold a sign that says "'We buy gold" or "Get your taxes done here."

[Rich Engelhardt]

Excuse me???

Those people holding those signs or dressed up in a costume have my utmost respect.
They are out there working.
Sure, the job sucks, but, I've gone through tough times where such a job would have been an answer to a prayer.

If you want to focus your annoyance anywhere, turn it on the able bodied slobs that sit around all day and suck down goverment freebies.
You won't see them out there holding a sign. That takes too much effort on their part.

[Steve Griffin]

We recently visited downtown denver and our 3 year old saw the sign spinners. I told him that if he didn't finish college he wouldn't be able to pursue his dream of being a garbage man, and would have to be a sign holder.:)

What I didn't tell him is how much more respect I had for those guys than those too lazy to work at all.

[Bonnie Campbell]

I respect anybody that gets off their rear and works. I worked as a 'custodian' (come ON! I was a janitor) at three local schools and was looked down at by the educated fools working at said schools. So no matter how lowly some think jobs are, they ARE jobs. Job snobbery isn't becoming of anyone. Sorry if this is a rant, but I've worked the jobs others won't, and I did a darned good job too.

[Moses Yoder]

I respect anybody that gets off their rear and works. I worked as a 'custodian' (come ON! I was a janitor) at three local schools and was looked down at by the educated fools working at said schools. So no matter how lowly some think jobs are, they ARE jobs. Job snobbery isn't becoming of anyone. Sorry if this is a rant, but I've worked the jobs others won't, and I did a darned good job too.

The funniest thing is nobody would want to go to a school that didn't have janitors. Imagine that!

[Larry Browning]

For the past several years a tax service called Liberty Tax has this guy dressed up in a statue of Liberty suit. He apparently has his mp3 player rockin out. He jumps around playing his air guitar and waving at everybody driving by. He looks to be in his early 20s slightly over weight with a long hair and beard. Not a pretty sight. I think it is the same guy every year, maybe the managers son. This starts up in January, and goes thru April 15. I drive by there every day on my way to work. He is there in the morning and there in the afternoon. If he does that all day, he has to be exhausted. The first few weeks are pretty entertaining, but it gets old after that.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

For the past several years a tax service called Liberty Tax has this guy dressed up in a statue of Liberty suit. He apparently has his mp3 player rockin out. He jumps around playing his air guitar and waving at everybody driving by. He looks to be in his early 20s slightly over weight with a long hair and beard. Not a pretty sight. I think it is the same guy every year, maybe the managers son. This starts up in January, and goes thru April 15. I drive by there every day on my way to work. He is there in the morning and there in the afternoon. If he does that all day, he has to be exhausted. The first few weeks are pretty entertaining, but it gets old after that.

LOL If you were in Ohio that could have been my grandson, but he cut his hair and
moved on.

Aren't spinners a new version of guys wearing advertising placards? That goes back
to before the depression.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Sorry if this is a rant, but I've worked the jobs others won't, and I did a darned good job too.
+1 & right on & I don't see it as a rant at all.

[Matt Day]

Excuse me???

Those people holding those signs or dressed up in a costume have my utmost respect.
They are out there working.


I was going to chime in and say this as well. The company who employs that person on the corner is providing one more job in an economy where that is rare, so why boycot it? Otherwise those people might be collecting unemployment and adding to our debt.

[Van Huskey]

+1

I would much rather see sign spinners at redlights than homeless people begging.

[Glenn Vaughn]

The street corner sign wavers are a live action version of Banner Ads. Asvertising has become so invasive that it is almost impossible to ignore it. There was a time when radio and television programs had a minimum of commercials. I can remember when a 30 minuye TV program would have around 20 - 25 minutes of entertainment and 5 - 10 minutes of commercials and station identifivation/ Now there are many programs with more time for commercials than entertainment - plus the constant promos crawling around on the bottom of he screen (sometimes on top of the captioning when sdomething needs to be translated).


Not only is there moe advertising, the amount of advertising for scams and borderline scams is increasing. No screening of advertisers seems to be done anymore. Smoking ads are prohibited but just about anything else is fine as long as the bill is paid.

[Dan Hintz]

I can remember when a 30 minuye TV program would have around 20 - 25 minutes of entertainment and 5 - 10 minutes of commercials and station identifivation.
For an hour-long show, if I fast-forward through commercials, the 30-second title sequence, and the 30-second credits, I come out with a pretty consistent 45 minutes of entertainment.

[Moses Yoder]

The truth is it would be better for those people to have actual constructive jobs. Not necessarily direct labor, but somehow contributing to building something. But I would have to agree being a human post and getting paid for it is better than lounging off the working people. I guess working in advertising indirectly contributes to building something but being a post is kind of stretching it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

The truth is it would be better for those people to have actual constructive jobs.
There was a story a few weeks ago about a janitor's job opening in Massillon, Ohio drawing over 700 applicants.
I'd like to see the same thing, but,,,,if the jobs aren't there, that's no reason to give up and do nothing and expect to get paid for it.

[ray hampton]

I respect anybody that gets off their rear and works. I worked as a 'custodian' (come ON! I was a janitor) at three local schools and was looked down at by the educated fools working at said schools. So no matter how lowly some think jobs are, they ARE jobs. Job snobbery isn't becoming of anyone. Sorry if this is a rant, but I've worked the jobs others won't, and I did a darned good job too.

you are not a Janitor but a Maintenance man or women

[Brian Elfert]

I was going to chime in and say this as well. The company who employs that person on the corner is providing one more job in an economy where that is rare, so why boycot it? Otherwise those people might be collecting unemployment and adding to our debt.

I boycott the business because they are polluting public right of way with advertising. The guys who dance and such also distract drivers. I doubt those jobs offer benefits or pay much more than minimum wage.

[Jim Becker]

Purely to get around local sign regulations. The same reason applies to folks who park vehicles "strategically" with messages on them, whether powered or just things like old semi-trailers.

[Larry Browning]

That guy in the statue of liberty suit really gets into his job and I think he does it better than anyone else I've seen doing the same job. I know he does this to many many drivers as they pass by, but it seems to me that every time he sees me drive by he nods or points at me or waves like he remembers me specifically. I always try to wave at him too and I thing he appreciates it. He is out there every day, doing the best job he can, sometimes in the cold and rain, even snow. I say, good for you man! I hope he shows up this year too. If he doesn't I will think that he got promoted, but I will miss seeing him do his thing.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

Like I said... not new!

Spinners are just an upgrade.

Walking billboards in the 18th century.

216899

[Jim Koepke]

There is one in our town that my wife and I like. We call him "taco boy" because he is dressed up in a taco outfit and dances outside of a Mexican restaurant. It isn't always the same guy.

We have thought of eating there at times, but their parking lot is usually full.

jtk