Don’t feel too bad if you don’t know… you’re not alone. Less than 1% of those surveyed didn’t know either. If you’re dying to know, his name is William Henry Harrison. And if you haven’t heard of him, it’s probably because he was only in office for 32 days before dying of pneumonia in the mid-1800s. Not a very long time to make your mark as president.
University of Utah communications professor, Ken Foster, is currently working on a study to determine the effectiveness of billboard advertising and this is how President William Harrison fits in the picture:
300 random people in Utah were surveyed and asked if they knew who the 9th President of the United States was. As previously mentioned, less than 1% of those surveyed knew. The point of this survey and the study as a whole has and continues to demonstrate how billboards can inform and educate the public.
The study is (it’s still in progress) made up of 4 phases:
Phase 1: COMPLETED! People were surveyed if they knew who the 9th President was and they were also asked a control question: Who is the Lt. Governor of Utah? (Which less than 4% of those surveyed were able to answer: Spencer J. Cox.)
Phase 2: COMPLETED! An advertising company posted billboards (60 in the Salt Lake Valley alone with many others throughout the state) that said, “William Harrison 9th President www.9thPresident.com”.
28 days later, Foster conducted another survey with 300 new people to measure who could name the 9th President and the Lt. Governor. The number of those who knew who the 9th President had increased, while the name of the Lt. Governor did not. The billboard placement throughout the state was designed so that over half of the state’s population would see these billboards at least once a day.
Phase 3: COMPLETED! For another 28 days, the billboards stayed up and a new group of 300 people were surveyed. The number for those who knew the 9th President had increased while the number of those who knew the name of the Lt. Governor did not.
Phase 4: IN PROGRESS! For another 28 days (in progress), the billboards are up and the number of people who know who William Harrison… wait for it, wait for it… continue to rise while the knowledge of the Lt. Governor’s name stays the same.
This study started out with only 1 in 100 people knowing who the 9th President is to now, 1 in 4 know who he is! This market research project proves that “billboards work” and is and will continue to increase billboard advertising. Not only did the billboards educate the public, but they increased the website usage and ultimately, motivated the public to respond to the “call-to-action” (going to www.9thpresident.com to find out more).
Moral of the study — billboards work! To be honest, while traveling down a Utah freeway, I saw the billboard the first time and it looked sketchy. After making my way down the 15 freeway, I saw this billboard again and again (over 6 times!). At this point, I was so intrigued I looked up the website. I was glad I did because this market research project is GENIUS and I knew this is what I wanted to post about because of how intriguing it is! I hope you all find it just as cool as I did!
What do you think about this? Did you know who the 9th President was?When you see a billboard, what are some things that have caught your attention? Has a billboard affected you in any way, whether that be educating you about something, purchasing something?
Thanks for reading and I can’t wait to hear your feedback!
References
https://www.ksl.com/?sid=38228359&nid=148
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