“As a specialist in the design and installation of signage, which includes billboards, here’s our #hottake on the latest marketing ploy from the grocery retailer Waitrose. Residents in the south London borough of Wandsworth expressed concern over a new billboard by the supermarket giant Waitrose which appeared to be falling off its bracket at a rather alarming angle. Of course, those in the advertising industry understood well the tactics played by the retailer. We’ve all heard the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Getting the public to talk about your brand is always the end goal. The latest stunt deployed by the Waitrose marketing team reminds us of the hack used by baristas at Starbucks a few years ago, with the supposed deliberate misspelling of customers’ names on cups going viral on social media. Whether real or fake, strategies like these create organic, repeated media coverage and for free. As signage specialists, what do we think about the latest advertising stunt from Waitrose? Our primary concern is safety. Whilst we understand that the promotional and advertising aspects of our customers’ signage is the most important to them, the safety surrounding installation is paramount to us. Above all else, eliminating the risk of danger or harm to the public must always be taken into account during any signage project. So long as all safety measures are accounted for, then this controversial sign from Waitrose has met the brief. Do we like it? That’s another post for another day.”
