10.5.2016

The dangers of political messages in outdoor signs

It seemed like once a year at Sunday dinner, my grandfather would to shut down a conversation topic by saying, "There's two things you never talk about: religion and politics." I used to think it was because he wanted peace and harmony while he ate, but the older I get, the more I saw how quickly tensions can escalate when these topics are covered.

We know it's almost too easy to want to slip out tongue-and-cheek zingers on your outdoor signs during election season. It's almost too hard not to. The problem is that when it comes to using political events as a source of humor, as simple or easy at it seems to be to get a quick laugh, the long-term effects can hurt your business.

Pew Research did a few studies on politics.

Pew Research did a study and found that 10% of Americans don't care about politics. This also means that 90% of Americans do care about politics.

In another study, they essentially found the 80-20 principle where the 20% polled were politically hard-lined to their party. This same 20% has the most influence over how the political process shapes up.

More or less, politically chiding one side or the other will impact about 20% directly, and indirectly affect several others. That's regardless of which party you tease.

In the end, you're going offend someone with political humor, no matter how tongue-and-cheek and harmless it might seem. And that someone could have been your next customer.

So, be a little cautious of what jokes you put on your signage. Everybody's money spends equally. And every business relationship doesn't mean you subscribe to your politics.

To learn more about getting signage that allows your to put up your best one-liners, contact us today.

You know, unless your business is politics, then have at it. :-).