RCL4: I Hate Steven Singer!

These “I Hate Steven Singer” billboards are a staple of the Philadelphia area and have driven me insane my ENTIRE life. I used to drive by it everyday on my way to school, and was always somewhat frustrated by it, mostly because I had no idea what it meant.  

Firstly, it is so unclear what they are advertising. What is Steven Singer?Is it a person? Is it a company? If so, what type? I will admit it’s not uncommon to see ads where it is unclear what they are marketing, usually it’s commercials, but they almost always reveal a product or brand name at some point. Technically they do mention the company- Steven Singer is a jewelry company, although I don’t feel as if they are a well enough known company to get away with an attempt at being mysterious. Instead it is just plain confusing. Up until I searched the campaign to write this post, I honestly thought Steven Singer was a politician and this billboard was created by his opponent.  

Another flaw in this advertising strategy is the type of advertisement they chose. These billboards, at least in my area, are on busy roads where traffic moves quite fast. The billboard is readable by drivers because it is so plain, however it is once again too confusing. Usually I will Google a company I’ve never heard of when I see an interesting or confusing ad. However, it is not the case for this particular ad because (hopefully) people aren’t Googling things while driving 45 mph. Instead, I give a second of confused thought before it leaves my short-term memory.  I have never seen any other types of advertisements from Steven Singer, so there is also no way for me to be reminded of it.  

This poster also seems to use the complete opposite of logos. Why would you market your business in a way that makes it seem bad? Saying that you hate your company does not start your relationship with potential costumers off on a good note. I think it’s meant to be an attempt at humor, though I think it falls a little short. The billboard also lacks in visual appeals. While having it be easily readable is appropriate for the location, it lacks anything to make it attractive. The font is pretty unappealing. It makes it seem like they are advertising something aggressive, even though they sell higher end jewelry. I normally think of jewelry as something more elegant and classy, so this font doesn’t feel fitting.  

While they could have made an advertisement that is memorable because it’s cute or funny, the makers of the “I Hate Steven Singer” campaign missed the mark, and now I kind of also hate Steven Singer. Overall, the “I Hate Steven Singer” campaign is far from effective in advertising their company.