I guess I’m a naturally suspicious person. Recently I’ve begun seeing billboards such as the one pictured all along the Wasatch Front. My first thought was that there was something radical about William Harrison’s politics that appeals to some political action group today and they’re trying to dupe me into going to their website so I can be propagandized.
The truth, it seems, is much more interesting, and less sinister. The entire “9th President” campaign is marketing research. Reagan Outdoor, a local billboard company, decided to conduct a study to determine the effectiveness of billboard advertising. The began by asking random people to name the ninth president of the United States, and then, as a control question, to name the current lieutenant governor of Utah. About 1% correctly identified William Harrison, and about 16% could name Spencer Cox.
Next they put up the billboards with nothing more than Harrison’s name and picture, his position in the line of presidents, and a website address. As indicated, I certainly saw them–and avoided that website like the plague.
About a month later they conducted a second survey. This time about the same number of people could identify Cox as lieutenant governor. But 27.3% could identify William Harrison as the ninth president. And about 7% of the respondents actually went and found more information on William Harrison because of the billboards (they did not measure whether they researched on their own or visited the website), and could identify the number of days Harrison served in office (32).
I think there is another lesson to be taken from this survey, also. Their campaign did not try to communicate too complex a message. They essentially just tried to connect two facts. Far too often I see billboards that are little more than copies of the company’s newspaper or web adds. As a result, assuming I can read anything at all as you’re zipping by on the freeway, I miss 95% of the information. In short, most billboards are poorly designed, and even repetition doesn’t help. I think about three data points is about all I’ve ever been able to glean from a sign in a few passes. Garth Brooks did a concert at Energy Solutions Stadium on October 31st last year. There’s a movie about ski-jumping coming out and, after nearly causing a wreck trying to read the fine print, I think Hugh Jackman is in it. More than that, and I don’t have time to notice, an even less interest in remembering.
Anyway, I’m relieved to find that William Harrison is not being suborned by some nefarious political movement. Marketing is much more…uh…innocent…and benign…. Yeah. That’s the ticket.
I was talking with Spencer Cox last night and he was still chuckling over his surprise that 16% knew he was the Lt. Gov. He thought it would be around .5%, unless they asked his wife and his mother. I enjoyed this survey when I saw it late last night. I had been wondering what the billboards were about.
Your continued expression of decency, of humanity, gives me hope. I testify. You are beautiful. Be well
William Harrison for President! A dead man could do a better job than (candidate’s name here)!
As someone said, “That government governs best that governs least.”
I’m not sure who said it, but someone added “And the government that governs least is no government at all”. So sure, let’s elect the dead!