What is up with these stupid "Recession 101" billboards that I am seeing?

[roamer65]

Annoying, jingoistic garbage like "Recession 101: It's a test, but not a final". Really annoying. At least we didn't have to endure this kinda crap during the 1974-75 and 1980-82 double-dip recession. Rant over.

[MrModerate]

1. Thankfully (I think) that message is so muddled, so inexplicable . . .

That I can't imagine it having much effect.

WTF are they trying to say, anyway? Are they going to segue into Rapturespeak as the next step in their campaign?

[Selatius]

2. It beats seeing something like this in your lifetime.

Or this:

[roamer65]

7. Very true, but at least honest...albeit brutally.

Unlike the current boards.

[JackieB]

15. Tesla In The Trash?

(Those are profound pics, for sure) We too saw those billboards in San Jose.

We appreciated the attempt at inspiration.

Here's our attempt at the same: The US Patent Office went digital and threw original
patent lithos in the trash - including Teslas! (and Westinghouse, Edison, Carrier...)

(We dove in and rescued 100's)

Many were of inventions created during an earlier time of great economic turmoil.
Notice the names? They created new industries and jobs at a time when there were none.

To us, that was the message.

Take a look:
www.drawingonbrilliance.ning.com

[hfojvt]

3. hang on sloopy, sloopy hang on

The sun'll come out tomorrow :o :evilgrin:

[virgogal]

4. Where are you seeing them?

[roamer65]

5. MI

[virgogal]

6. Thanks. I haven't noticed them in MA.

[Feron]

8. Is this what you are talking about?

http://www.suite101.com/view_image.cfm/860105

For those that don't want to click, it's a billboard that looks like the inside of a notebook and says: "Recession 101: Bill Gates started Microsoft in a recession."

I can't find anything else about them. Bizarre.

[roamer65]

9. Bingo.

[RandomThoughts]

10. Considering their is a few people that really believe in George Orwell's philosophy in 1984

There is a possibility that some claim that the recession is to break peoples will, or make people suffer for some other purpose, like to get people to agree with a tyrannical regime or authoritative power structure.

Room 101 was the torture room that used a persons worst fears. It was in the book '1984'

However, since it is on notebook paper, it may be a comment on 101 being the basic coarse in something. So it could be trying to say that new big ideas can come out of a recesion, and it uses 101 to say it is a basic idea.

[jwirr]

11. There are a lot of commercials out there today that are nothing more

than corporate pr. The one I hate is the state farm insurance one that sings "we need to bring salvation back." It is so blatant that anyone is going to see through it - insurance companies are in the toilet because of health care - so now we bring on the lies. Where were they helping to salvage New Orleans?

[drm604]

12. I wonder who has money to burn on something like that?

It's unclear to me what they're trying to accomplish or why anyone would spend money on such things.

I guess it might be someone who thinks that some positive thinking on some billboards in one state will turn things around.

[drm604]

13. I found the answer to my question.

http://advertising.suite101.com/article.cfm/outdoor_non_profit_advertising

Early in 2009, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) urged its member companies to participate in a public service campaign to restore confidence in the economy. OAAA said "Recession 101 is a light-hearted and succinct reminder to everyone that the nation will get through these troubled times."

Apparently billboard companies are voluntarily putting these messages on unsold ad space.

[crobb]

14. recession 101

Interestingly enough, the money to produce the campaign came from an anonymous donor who simply
wanted people to remember that we've been through these things before and we'll get through this one.
The ads were then offered to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, whose members are
donating space to post the billboards. The campaign was created by the same people who created
the "God Speaks" billboards that were all over the place about ten years ago. Those were those
black billboards with white letters and all signed "God." For example "Don't make me come down there." -God
The "Recession 101" language is indeed a reference to first year level college courses. My favorite is
"Recession 101:This will end long before those who caused it are paroled."

[onethatcares]

16. i think think the last sentence should have been

"This will end long before those who caused it are ever charged".

Peace

[roamer65]

18. Ah, figures..those stupid God freaks.

I hate those God billboards, too.

[surrealAmerican]

17. Well, we did have those silly "W.I.N." buttons.

These billboards are just demonstrating that a lot of billboard space is going unsold. It seems counter-productive to me.