Billboard Blunder?

Sex sells.

We’ve all heard this declaration. Sex may sell, but this momma’s not buying.

As parents, we teach our children to believe such adages as: “It’s what inside that counts” and “don’t judge a book by its cover.” But unless you lock your child in a bubble, they’re bombarded by superficial images of beauty and sexual images.

Ads and media threaten our best efforts to instill wholesome values. 

Examples are everywhere. Still, I was stunned by the giant half-naked man on Steels Corners Road. The suggestive billboard was an ad for a local plumber.

I’d like to add a word and change the punctuation of the above sentence: Sex sells everything? Really? Even plumbers?

I am torn between appropriateness and humor.

I know the intention of the ad is not literal. Potential customers are not to assume this shirtless young man will appear at their door, provocatively posing with a plunger. The humor isn’t lost on me, but as a mother, I wonder what message it conveys to children.

Are ads like these clever or irresponsible? It has a key component of successful marketing: It’s memorable. Though the billboard had the opposite effect on me, it’s probably not the case for everyone.

Businesses pay good money to plaster their ads across billboards. The expense is pointless if it doesn’t make an impact. The ad made locals think and talk (and write) about it.

It seems an ad that described their skills or guaranteed their service would be more helpful to customers. If my toilet is broken, I don’t care what the plumber looks like. I’d need a professional to quickly access and fix the problem. I would require him to competent…and fully clothed.  

A billboard isn’t like a television show or movie you can choose to watch or avoid. Folks were forced to drive past the ad for several weeks, and it was impossible to turn off the image if they didn’t approve.