Preparing Signs for RunPhones Burmas-Shave Re-make

From 1926-1963, Burma-Shave was known perhaps more for their quirky-cute advertising than their shaving cream. It absolutely sold their shaving products as well as bring joy to millions of Americans reading their road signs. RunPhones will be emulating Burma-Shave's brilliant advertising this weekend!

We're still painting the signs...

Burma-Shave was told that it would never work by professional marketing people, but tried it anyway. After they started getting repeat orders from pharmacies along the roads that had the signs, they expanded this form of advertising. Over the years, their signs evolved from straight product promotion to funny stories to public service warnings. Here are some examples:

Shave the modern way / No brush / No lather / No rub-in / Big tube 35 cents - Drug stores / Burma-Shave

The wolf / Is shaved / So neat and trim / Red Riding Hood / Is chasing him / Burma-Shave

Slow down, Pa / Sakes alive / Ma missed signs / Four / And five / Burma Shave

Past / Schoolhouses / Take it slow / Let the little / Shavers grow / Burma-Shave

Our chief technology officer loved this quaint yet adorable method of promotion. Burma-Shave finally had to stop this advertising strategy because cars started to drive much faster and TV commercials took over. However, RunPhones are just starting out now. Runners don't run too fast to read road signs, and they probably appreciate a bit of humor along their race route. We certainly don't have enough money to do TV commercials, but we do have the ability to put up a few signs for local races!

The Happy Valley Communications PR group is helping us organized a re-make of the Burma-Shave campaign this weekend for the Nittany Valley Half Marathon. I can't give away our rhymes yet, but I'll post them next week!