6.02.2005

Dis Or Dat

A few years back, we started seeing these signs pop up around Michigan:
click it or ticket

Kind of a clever rhyme... making "ticket" mean "get a ticket" is a bit of a stretch. Literally, it sounds more like "If you don't buckle up, you will give someone a ticket", but for the sake of the meter, it gets a pass.

Lately, this has been the new signage:

BUPUShield_62820_7

Now we have two competing if-this-then-that slogans. Is this necessary? Or is this how it played out:

BOB: OK, everyone, I'm Bob, and I'm the new guy here. My first task will be to implement a fresh, new slogan: "Buckle Up or Pay Up."
GUY #1: Hey! I liked Click It or Ticket!
GUY #2: Yeah! That was Fred's idea! I like Fred!
Guy #3: Yeah!
[murmurs of dissent--shouts of "yeah!" are heard over the walla-walla]
FRED: Yeah!
BOB: OK, fine. we'll compromise and use both. But I get top billing. And it's no longer a "law you can live with." That line was crap.

I mean, really. I get it. If I do not use my safety belt, I will owe someone money. I don't need it twice. One phrase does not add to the other, it just makes the sign compete with itself. I'm afraid next year, we'll have:

newsign

Stop the insanity now.

4 comments:

ACoolKid said...

The extra boolean phraseology was added around the same time Indiana started using the slogan, too. Michigan must have just wanted to remain top catchy phrase dog.

We also have gruff looking policemen staring at us from our gas pumps telling us that "Drive-offs don't Drive in Michigan." Meaning that if we leave Speedway without paying, someone's gonna be mad...

I'm guessing "Drive" is some cool slang I don't know. And coming from the same signsmiths as the "Click-It or Pay Up" campaign, I know it has to be something everyone is using these days. But when I tell someone "That Drives!" or "Drive it, man!" people give me funny looks.

I'm starting to think maybe that cops aren't as cool as they pretend to be... They'll have a lot of work to do to prove me wrong. Or to put it in a way they might understand:

"Put up or Shut Up"

assailablecool.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

That is cool Mr Sanders. Thoes signs are pretty funny. Your Photoshop skills are showcased in the last picture. good job

Anonymous said...

That last one was michael ok

Eric "Babe" Morse said...

Dude! Ixnay on the Andersay! And go get a dictionary and look up pseudonym! Sheesh.