Over the past little while I've noticed some billboards about the Golden Spike with a website address on it. I noticed the billboard because I love trains and was excited that they might be doing something to commemorate the event. So, I put the web address into my phone so I could remember to visit the site. Well, today I remembered and found some time to look it up, and much to my dismay, it was a marketing outdoor test. It was all done to get people to remember the date of when the spike was driven and to prove that outdoor advertising worked.
First of all, I didn't know the exact date before and I probably still couldn't answer it correctly now. I didn't take interest in the billboard because it was just there. I took interest in the billboard because I am interested in the subject they had on the board - trains.
Second, The website wasn't good at all. It's a black background with white text. They could at least have invested time into the site. Speaking of bad design, the billboard wasn't that great either. The test the should do is how a poorly designed campaign would compare to a well designed campaign.
I was very disappointed and frustrated that I invested the time to look it up. They say the test works and I'm sure it does, but for someone seeing the board and hoping it was something more, it failed.

Labels: Bad Design, Billboards, Golden Spike