Friday Find #26:
Through this door pass the greatest
We spotted this message at a local Ford service center and almost felt privileged to be there …
This message could’ve just said, “Quality is our business.” But that’s not exactly the most noticeable notice in the world. So someone figured out that a little hyperbolic enthusiasm would help. And, they used it to reach two very different target audiences at once. To customers, it’s the promise of a job well done. To employees, it’s a pride-of-work message. The takeaway? Find unexpected ways to showcase your team – and you’ll send a compelling message to customers and employees alike.
Friday Find #25:
The Best 4x4xFar
We spotted this message on the windshield of an ancient Land Rover and thought it was still wonderfully sticky after all these years …
This message could’ve just said, “The Best 4×4.” But no one would’ve remembered a line like that. Instead, Land Rover drew on rhythm, alliteration, and the clever use of a symbol (the “x Far” meaning “by far”) to make the line unforgettable. The takeaway? Sometimes all it takes to make your message stick is simple, smart wordplay.
Friday Find #24:
The doughnut tip jar
We spotted this message on a doughnut run in Arizona and immediately ate it up …
This message could’ve just said, “Tips appreciated.” But where’s the fun in that? So, someone with an ear for humor and a head for marketing found a way to make this ask much more appealing. The takeaway? Customers love it when you take a familiar phrase and make it mean something it never meant before.
Friday Find #23:
What was your first stuffed animal’s middle name?
We spotted this message at the airport and couldn’t just let it fly by …
The message could’ve just asked, “What was the name of your high school mascot?” But that wouldn’t capture the you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me frustration people feel every time they get stopped by yet another security question. The takeaway? If you’re trying to get buyers to reject the status quo, all it takes is a little humorous hyperbole to get their attention and remind them how ridiculous the status quo really is.
Friday Find #22:
Should I buy it? No.
We spotted this message last week at a favorite vacation spot and loved the logic …
The message could’ve just said, “See our summer styles.” But that wouldn’t stop you in your tracks. Instead, they captured the “should I or shouldn’t I?” dialogue that goes on in every prospect’s mind. The takeaway? If you can create that “you get me” moment for your prospect, you’ll move them a lot further down the path to purchase.
Friday Find #21:
Medium-well is for burgers, not projects
We spotted this B2B message next to an iconic Seattle burger joint, and it made us hungry for more …
This billboard could’ve just said “better project management software.” But everybody says things like that. So, someone found a clever way to appeal to pride of work instead. The takeaway? Inspire your audience to be their best, and they’ll also think of you as the best.
Friday Find #20:
ETA? Right now.
We spotted Amazon rolling down the street and instantly got the message …
The side of this van could’ve just said, “Prime”. But that would’ve been a missed opportunity. The takeaway? If you really want to drive home your value, look for ways to message that value in the very moment you’re delivering it – when the van pulls up, the email pops in, the support call ends, the chat session begins, or the dashboard opens.
Friday Find #19:
Outnumbered parent parking
We pulled up to this message outside a taco joint in Arkansas that obviously gets it …
This parking sign could’ve just said, “Reserved for parents with small children.” But that’s simply how you describe your target audience – not how you reach them. The takeaway? If you really want your message to connect with customers, it has to say, “We see you, and we know what you’re going through.”
Friday Find #18:
We repair what your husband fixed
A friend of PitchMaps spotted this message peeking out from behind some banana leaves and barbed wire in Naples, Florida …
Photo Credit: Eddie Johnson
This sign could’ve just said, “We do repairs.” But any message is more impactful if it focuses on a pain point. And DIY is a “competitor” of yours that can be a real source of customer pain. The takeaway? Look for ways to show prospects that their in-house solution to the problem … may actually be the problem.
Friday Find #17:
Who needs a boyfriend anyway?
We ran into this Valentine’s message outside a clothing boutique, and it was love at first sight …
Sure, they could’ve just said, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” But that line had already been taken. So they tried a little tongue-in-cheek humor to make potential customers stop and smile. The takeaway? Find a fun way to say “we get you” – and your target audience will heart you for it.
Friday Find #16:
In the city of peaches, don’t rent lemons
A friend spotted this message at the Atlanta airport, and we thought it landed really well …
Photo Credit: Chad Bureau
This sign could’ve just said, “Discover Atlanta with us.” But that isn’t enough to make you sound like a local in the Peach State, much less drive home a strong value prop. The takeaway? Even though things like localization make your message more relevant, you still need to add another twist to make your message more fruitful.
Friday Find #15:
I want to be a pizza box
We all get lots of fun messages delivered to our doorsteps these days, but this one got us thinking …
This box could’ve just said, “Please recycle.” But that’s so cold and impersonal. The takeaway? A little vision-casting shows your audience what’s possible, sparks the imagination, and makes for a stickier message. Customers engage when they hear things like, “Imagine if this were … What if you could … Picture a future where ….”
Friday Find #14:
Walkin’ in a pepperminty land
We came across this message in a not-so-snowy drive-thru, and now we can’t stop singing it …
This sign could’ve just said, “Our seasonal drinks are in.” But you wouldn’t spend the rest of the day singing a message like that. The takeaway? If you can tie your message to a familiar theme that’s already in your customer’s mind (a song, an idiom, a movie title, anything), it’s more likely to stay there.
Friday Find #13:
Give a rabbit a break
We came across this message stuck to a tree, and it really made our ears perk up …
Most people would’ve just ended this sign after the first sentence. But nobody likes a scold – so the creators of this message had to get more creative than that. The takeaway? A little unexpected humor will provoke a better response, even if you have to follow some pretty crazy rabbit trails to come up with it.
Friday Find #12:
Must be cool!
We ran into this message on an emergency run to our neighborhood pizza joint …
This sign could’ve just said, “Now hiring.” But that’s what every other restaurant in town is saying these days. So they cooked up something cooler than that. The takeaway? Tell your audience this isn’t for everyone, and everyone will want it.
Friday Find #11:
Pumpkin spice oil changes are back!
We spotted this message on a road trip through Indiana, and since we always brake for great messaging, we had to stop and snap this pic …
The sign could’ve just said, “Oil change special.” But nobody makes a U-turn for a sign like that. The takeaway? If you want to stop sounding like everyone else in your industry, then start looking outside it for your messaging inspiration.
Friday Find #10:
The only ingredient that’s hard to pronounce
We thought this message was a keeper, which means it’s probably still in the car under a back seat somewhere …
The bag could’ve just said, “No artificial ingredients.” That’s better than saying, “No tertiary butylhydroquinone or propyl gallate.” But it’s still not as engaging as poking fun at the scary, unpronounceable additives we read on packaging every day. The takeaway? In any selling conversation, don’t just give your customers the facts – find a way to make those facts more relatable (even if you have to make fun of yourself to do it).
Friday Find #9:
Today’s escape from reality
We strolled up to this message outside a vintage bookstore and just had to turn left …
![Books [left arrow] Real Life [right arrow]](https://pitchmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Books_Real_Life.png)
The sign could’ve simply said, “Used Books.” But this smart bookseller realized that they aren’t actually in the business of selling books. They’re in the business of pointing people to other worlds. The takeaway? Ask yourself what people are really buying when they buy your product.
Friday Find #8:
No Walkens?
We were amused and slightly spooked by this message staring at us from the window of an appointment-only barbershop in the UK …
This sign could’ve just said, well … “No walk-ins.” But where’s the drama or personality in a line like that? Nothing to catch your eye and make you smile. It’s amazing how swapping a single word can change everything. The takeaway? Always be looking for that one word that can turn your message on its head.
Friday Find #7:
It’s pronounced “pecan”, not “pecan”
We walked up to this message on the streets of Atlanta, and it drove us nuts in a good way …
This sign could’ve just said, “Local Georgia pecans.” But that wouldn’t get inside your head and make you say the name of their product over and over. (Is it “Puh-KAHN?” “PEE-can?” “PEE-kahn?”) The takeaway? If you make your message interactive – for example, by raising a question people play with in their heads – you’ll surprise them and make them remember your brand.
Friday Find #6:
I am very old, and I need to rest
We came across this message from a talking tree – and that’s not something you see every day …
Photo Credit: National Trust (via X/Twitter)
The sign could’ve just said, “Do not climb tree.” But that sounds mean. And it kind of makes you want to climb the thing, even if you hadn’t been thinking of doing that before. So someone found a way to make this request more relatable. The takeaway? If you want people to respond, don’t just give them a cold call-to-action – give them a meaningful why.
Friday Find #5:
Hockey – a Southern tradition?
We skated past this message outside a hockey rink in Georgia – and had to go back to make sure we read it right …
The sign could’ve just said, “Hockey is where it’s at.” But “Southern Tradition”? It takes guts to put hockey right up there next to the biscuits and gravy. If anybody has to skate to where the puck is going, it’s hockey players sweating it out in the Deep South on their Rollerblades. The takeaway? To establish yourself in a new market, you’ve got to go big with your message.
Friday Find #4:
You only get one brain
We ran headfirst into this message at the bike shop, and it stopped us in our tracks …
This poster could’ve just said, “We make quality bike helmets.” But people tend to shrug off a “look at my product” message. There’s no emotion in it. And nothing to make your buyers stop and think. The takeaway? Don’t just talk about what you do – talk about why it really matters.
Friday Find #3:
The ultimate food truck
We saw this massive message parked at a shopping center in the ’burbs and fell in love …
The truck could’ve just said, “Papa Johns Pizza.” But instead, someone seized the opportunity to turn a perceived negative (“we’re a giant corporate brand – not a cool local artisan”) into a fun positive. The takeaway? A little humor and self-awareness can make your brand more likable.
Friday Find #2:
Tap your heels together three times
We saw this message out the window of our Uber in a city far from home …
The billboard could’ve just said, “Chrome is the world’s #1 browser.” But that wouldn’t give you warm feelings. So, the wizards who wrote this message tucked their great big claim of technological superiority inside a humble, well-loved idiom. The takeaway? If you’re really going to connect with people, you need to show your human side.
Friday Find #1:
Be nice to the umpires
We found this message on a Little League fence a few miles north of the Atlanta Braves baseball stadium and couldn’t help but smile …
This notice could’ve just said, “Please be courteous to players and umpires.” But you expect it to say that. And expected messages get ignored. The takeaway? If your customers act like they’ve heard it all before, it’s because they have. So, you’ve got to reframe your message in a way that catches them by surprise.
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