Last year my wife and I took a dream road-trip through the scenic South Western States of America...one of the highlights of which was a day’s cruise on a preserved section of the Historic Route 66.
Whilst on the road I was taken with the constant references to a product called “Burma Shave”, a defunct brand of shaving soap which had its heyday in the 1950s. The brand pioneered a novel approach to outdoor advertising known as “street verse” – a sequence of simple signposts which composed a rhyme, short song or witty verse. Almost endless in variation, the signs entertained millions of road-trippers plying the route between Chicago and LA for nearly 40 years.
The intriguing progressions, all concluded with the iconic Burma Shave Logo, were sticky because each added to the anticipation of what the next would say.
Why I like it:
1. Completely original and own-able
2. Unchanging – the same approach was used for 40 years
3. Sticky, addictive and thoroughly entertaining – people looked out for the verses and “collected” favourite sequences to while away the miles on the “Mother Road”
4. Participative – an annual contest was established in which fans and users could submit suggestions for new roadside sequences
5. Functional – many sequences encouraged courtesy and good motoring manners
For a flavour of Burma Shave advertising sequences through time, click here.
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