One would think that a spelling error on a giant billboard would be noticed sooner rather than later. However, ABC news recently reported on Gorman McCracken Volkswagen/Mazda, a car dealership that now has a bit of an embarrassment on its hands.
The source notes that the business recently pointed out the problem inherent in its use of a large sign at its location in Longview. On the billboard, visitors can see a large red arrow directing their attention to the phrase "Piece of Mind Warranty on ALL MAKES!"
The problem? It should be "peace" of mind, not "piece." The source quotes Marco Camacho, who works at the ad agency the company just hired (not the one that designed the sign), trying to explain what happened and how the mistake managed to go unnoticed for so long.
"The billboard actually faces away from the dealership, from the employees in the dealership, so I guess no one ever really studied it and saw that there had been a misspelling," he said.
According to a local Fox affiliate, the general manager of the location will donate the equivalent cost to fix the billboard to a special program for literacy. But that might not be enough to shake the effect of this blunder on the business' customer base.
Mistakes made in major pieces of advertising can not only upset your business' immediate reputation: they can make some onlookers think you might have done something like this on purpose just to generate attention.
When designing large vinyl signs to help increase your business' presence, you should be able to trust that the company working with you to make it will know how to render a product free of any embarrassing typos. This also holds for window signs and other forms of large-scale marketing.