This Outdoor Advertising poster panel was a daring statement at the time. Its 1971 and Seattle major employer, Boeing has terminated thousands of its work force. The slogan seems tame by today’s standards. At the time, a number of people took risks and placed a design on the street which while it didnt win any awards, is still talked about and used today. What risk have you ventured lately? What is your risk tolerance in displaying “controversial subject matter” via OOH?
What is your risk tolerance in displaying “controversial subject matter” in OOH?
A pair of Seattle-based real-estate agents used a strategically placed poster panel to change the community perceptions. The billboard location targeted home buyers near the airport.
The biggest billboard company was Foster & Kleiser, then Clear Channel Outdoor, which promptly turned down a sign it perceived as negative.
Then they called a little startup billboard company, Pacific Communications. For $160 a month, Pacific rented the billboard space on the east side of Pacific High South, at South 167th Street, appropriately enough, across the street from a cemetery. Reaction to the billboard was immediate. Pressure to remove however was overwhelming for the smaller OOH company. It stayed on the street only two weeks, Pacific cancelled and returned a check for $80.
From the archives of History Link:
Billboard reading “Will the Last Person Leaving SEATTLE — Turn Out the Lights” appears near Sea-Tac International Airport on April 16, 1971.
- By Greg Lange
History Link.org Essay 1287
History Link full story⇒ Turn Out the Lights
Second story on ‘turn off the lights…promotion Lights Out
What is your risk tolerance in displaying “controversial subject matter” via OOH?
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