Good Timing Eats Big Idea For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
It’s officially billboard season in the US of A.
Only last week I raved about how Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian put up some billboards (4 in total) to welcome her back to tennis.
Together they read: “Greatest Momma Of All Time G.M.O.T — Alexis Jr + Sr”
What an announcement!
Well, the trend seems to be gaining even more grounds as a trio of billboards surfaced last week in Cleveland.
The message suggests that Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James aka “The King” would be a good fit among the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s an open secret that LeBron James, arguably the best player and biggest brand in Basketball would be available as a free agent in the off season. Which can only mean one thing — almost every team is jostling to have him join their ranks by switching sides from his present team, Cleveland Cavaliers.
So this was a sales pitch of sorts by the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a really bold one when you consider that the board was placed, not in Philadelphia but right in Cleveland.
The first billboard depicts James’ number among the 76ers starting five with the likes of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, a fast rising rookie who James recently referred to as “My Young King”. The basketball community is already raving about his similarities with James and there’s already talk about him taking over the mantle when James retires.
The second billboard simply says, “Complete the process” - a catchphrase that has gained popularity by and is often associated to Joel Embiid, one of the current stars of the 76ers team.
The third billboard simply says, “#PhillyWantsLeBron.”
The boards were paid for by Power Home Remodeling, a corporation based in Chester, Pennsylvania with prices, ranging between $2,500 and $15,000 (according to Lamar), depending on location and visibility.
Not to be outdone, within the same week, several Cleveland area businesses responded. First, Lake County’s Firenza Stone, a granite supplier, hit back by changing its electronic sign to say, “LeBron is home” and “Process Complete.” Just in time for Cleveland’s midweek game against, you guessed it, Philadelphia.
Then there’s this one by The Wild Eagle Saloon that calls Philly out and then depicts a crown flipping someone the bird. It’s easily my favorite of them all. Don’t ask me why.
I’m pretty sure the message is still reverberating in Philly.
Even if this must have been dampened by the fact that the 76ers outpointed and defeated the Cavaliers in that game during the midweek. You must wonder why they think they need LeBron.
Anyway, none of these billboards appear out of place. They were very deliberate, calculated and we could argue strategic. The lesson for me is that advertisers need to factor in the relevance of timing. The timing is no coincidence. A good message is only as relevant as the timing of its delivery.
Blink and you miss it.
About Me:
Self-titled “Chief Nomad”, I am presently Founder/Creative Director of Bedouin, a creative media & marketing-support firm that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to solving marketing challenges with visible footprints in Advertising, Music, Film, Fashion, TV and Tech. I have over a decade’s experience overseeing high-value projects for several local and international brands and can be reached on chiefnomadwrites@gmail.com
