Have you ever driven down a highway and noticed those seemingly endless signs bearing the name of a car dealership? You might have passed them by without a second thought, but these “Car Signs,” as we’ll call them, are more than just markers on the roadside. They represent a fascinating and increasingly prevalent advertising strategy in the automotive world.
Like many, reporter Ryan McGee drove the I-40 stretch and was struck by the sheer number of “Johnson Lexus/Hyundai/Subaru” signs. He wondered if this was a clever way to advertise without traditional billboards. It turns out, he was onto something. These aren’t just random placements; they are part of a calculated and extensive “Sponsor-a-Highway” campaign, pioneered to a remarkable degree by automotive groups like Johnson Automotive in North Carolina.
The Ubiquitous Car Sign: A Masterclass in Roadside Presence
The sheer scale of this car sign strategy is hard to miss once you become aware of it. Imagine driving for miles and seeing a sign for the same car dealership every mile. That’s precisely what Johnson Automotive has achieved on major highways in eastern North Carolina. They’ve essentially saturated the roadside landscape with their brand, creating an almost inescapable presence.
Initially focused around Raleigh, their car sign dominance now stretches across hundreds of miles, even reaching as far as Mebane and the coast. This isn’t just a regional quirk; it’s a case study in how car dealerships are rethinking outdoor advertising in the modern age. While some might find it “excessive,” as one Twitter user noted, the strategy’s effectiveness lies in its very ubiquity.
Why Car Signs? Navigating the Evolving Advertising Landscape
The move towards widespread car sign sponsorship isn’t arbitrary. It’s a strategic response to changes in the advertising world, particularly the limitations and perceptions surrounding traditional billboards.
For years, billboards were the go-to for roadside advertising. Johnson Automotive themselves used to buy clusters of billboards to ensure visibility. However, billboards are facing increasing restrictions. Many cities have regulations on size, placement, and even outright bans in certain areas. This anti-billboard sentiment has been growing for decades, making it harder for businesses to rely on them.
Car dealerships, needing to reach drivers and build brand recognition, have had to adapt. Digital ads, radio, and print remain important, but the desire for a physical, roadside presence persists. TV ads, as Johnson Automotive’s marketing director Erick Kirks points out, are often deemed ineffective and out of touch with their brand.
This is where the “Sponsor-a-Highway” program and car signs come into play. It offers a unique opportunity to achieve widespread brand visibility in a way that bypasses many billboard restrictions. By sponsoring highway stretches, dealerships like Johnson Automotive can place their “car signs” along vast networks, ensuring their brand is consistently in front of drivers.
More Than Just Advertising: The Litter Control Connection
Interestingly, this car sign strategy isn’t solely about advertising. It’s intertwined with environmental responsibility, or at least the perception of it. The “Sponsor-a-Highway” program is fundamentally a litter control initiative. Sponsors pay to have stretches of highway cleaned, contributing to a cleaner environment.
While some might complain about the number of car signs, even associating them with litter, the reality is that these sponsorships fund litter removal. Johnson Automotive, for example, pays a contractor to clean the highways they sponsor. This addresses a significant issue, as North Carolina alone collects millions of pounds of roadside trash annually at a substantial cost.
By participating in the “Sponsor-a-Highway” program, car dealerships not only gain advertising exposure through car signs, but also contribute to a public service. This dual purpose can shift public perception, turning potential criticism into appreciation once the litter control aspect is understood.
The Psychology of Car Signs: Repetition and Brand Recall
The effectiveness of car signs relies heavily on repetition. Seeing the same brand name repeatedly over a long drive is a powerful way to build brand recall. It’s a principle that older advertising campaigns, like Burma-Shave’s roadside poems, understood well.
Just as tourist attractions use sequential billboards to entice travelers, car signs work through constant exposure. Even if drivers don’t consciously register each sign, the repeated visual presence subtly imprints the dealership’s name in their minds. When the time comes to consider a new vehicle, that familiar name is more likely to surface.
As Erick Kirks aptly states, “It’s about impressions. You see our signs all over. When you think of a brand (Lexus, Subaru, Hyundai), you think of us.” The strategy isn’t about immediate, direct sales; it’s about long-term brand building and top-of-mind awareness.
Car Signs: Unseen, Then Unforgettable
The genius of the car sign strategy lies in its initial subtlety and eventual inescapability. Many drivers, like the author of the original article, may initially drive past these signs without truly noticing them. They blend into the roadside scenery, becoming almost invisible through sheer ubiquity.
However, once your attention is drawn to them, they become impossible to ignore. “Once you see it,” Kirks notes, “you can never unsee it.” This shift from unnoticed background to prominent feature is the key to their advertising power. Car signs, initially overlooked, transform into a constant reminder of the sponsoring dealership, embedding their brand into the driver’s consciousness mile after mile. They are a testament to the evolving and often ingenious ways businesses, especially car dealerships, are finding to connect with their audience in the ever-changing landscape of advertising.
