You could be famous!

Congratulations, you are one of the first to read my blog. Blogging has been around for awhile but, it’s new to me; bear with me while I get the hang of it. I’m not exactly sure what to say in these but, I guess I am supposed to speak my mind and, to the best of my ability, the truth; however, I got to make sure I include a level of critical thought, analysis and effort, whatever that means. So let us get started.

If you live in Los Angeles you probably drive from point A to point B, all the time, like I do. Unless, you’re one of those people who bike everywhere; and if you are, please get out of my way. So often you bike people think you own the road and I have to be super careful not to hit you. You have a right to the road just as much as I do but, when I have to swerve into the other lane just to avoid you, you’re probably better off on the sidewalk. Especially those of you who don’t wear HELMETS. They’re meant to save your life in case I hit you and you hit your head. I have too much going on to hang your death, because of your refusal to wear a helmet, on my shoulders. I’ve gone way off topic so let us get back on track.

The point I’m trying to make is, if you drive you have, at one time or another, sang in your car. I sing in my car all the time and, in fact, I’ve seen plenty of other people who do it, even a pair of old ladies who were singing and dancing in their car and, believe me… it was truly a sight to see.

I bring this up because the other day I was driving and I happen to notice a billboard. This advertisement caught my eye because I related to it, which I’ll explain further. It had a picture of a lady, fairly young, who also happened to be driving, because her hands were on the wheel at ten and two, like you’re supposed to have them but, who honestly does that besides women and old people? She had a look on her face like she was singing. Hey, I’m driving and singing, that might as well be me on there or you.

The advertisement was for American Idol. I forget what it said exactly but, it was encouraging people to audition. It said something along the lines of, “Hey, you sing in your car so try out for American Idol, who knows you might win and become famous”. I’m paraphrasing a lot but, you get the idea. After seeing it, I was filled with ideas of auditioning and winning.

The marketing behind this billboard is genius. It’s not everyday I see a billboard and actually think about it; unless, I’m hungry and drive past a giant big mac. It’s genius because, about 90% of people sing in their cars; I know this because of those TVs at the gas station that give you something to watch and read while filling up. Now if 90% of people sing in their cars, there is a good chance they will see this billboard and be convinced they might actually have a good singing voice and audtion, even I breifly considered it except I know I don’t have a singing voice.

The advertisement connects to the 90% of people who sing in their car and to those who dream of becoming famous. There is only one thing I don’t like, and it’s the fact that it’s a billboard. I worked at a marketing company for about two days and the message I got was that billboards are out of style and don’t capture the attention of people like commercials do. The only reason I saw this billboard was because I was stuck in traffic, but there is probably a wide range of people who could be affected by this advertisement if it was a TV commercial playing on the gas station TVs instead of a billboard, because if you drive you probably fill up at a gas station with TVs.

I really hate conclusions, so because this is my blog and I can write it however I want, I’m going to end it abruptly. Before I do, I’ll leave you with a Too Long; Don’t Read version (TL;DR)

TL;DR: Billboard encourages people who sing in their car to audition for American Idol. It gives them the idea they have a good singing voice and might have a chance to win and become famous. The advertisement is aimed at young people who sing in their cars and dream of stardom. Too bad it’s a billboard.