Bad LSM: Short Sighted Signage

As we approach 2016, you’re likely getting all of your marketing ducks in a row for the new year. Making plans for special events, promotions, advertising and employee initiatives. To that end, we thought today was the perfect day to highlight a bad marketing example – so you don’t make the same mistake!

See below for an unfortunate example of seasonal signage from the City of Alexandria.

At first glance, it’s a nice sign about Spring in Alexandria. But upon closer inspection, we noticed the frame/stand is too small for the poster. Yes, you can still read all the text, but you can tell it’s being cut off a bit by the frame.

Chances are, either the frame or the poster itself was new for Spring. And, instead of either a) making a new sign to fit the new frame, or b) making sure any new signs that were made fit the old frame, they did neither. Maybe this is a one off sign, and the other signs in town look great. But this sign just looks like an after thought. And, for a historically relevant city with a large tourism industry, it doesn’t look good.

So, as you make plans for 2016, abide by the old adage of “measure twice, cut once.” Make sure anything new marketing tactics fit (literally and figuratively) within your existing business structure and location. When you give yourself enough time to plan, mistakes like the ones above are easy to avoid!