Deli Advertising

The sandwich board is making a comeback.

I'm not talking about literal sandwiches here, like the kind you eat.

I'm talking the term often used for the signs those poor folks are holding or wearing these days, hawking a variety of retail outlets, from cell phone stores to oil change places.

The sandwich board was so named because of its original incarnation, which was usually two pieces of wood, connected with rope or twine, which the wearer would sling over his shoulders, advertising on the front and back, creating a sort of human "sandwich."

The sandwich boards started showing up in earnest in the late-1920s and early-1930s, which were, not coincidentally, the days of the Great Depression. But in those days, often the human sandwich was promoting himself, not any company.

The sandwich board is back, but in a more streamlined fashion. It used to be that the only businesses in recent years who commissioned people to stand on the curb and wave people in, holding a sign, were car washes (the fundraising kind) and, during tax season, tax preparers (with typically someone dressed as Lady Liberty or Uncle Sam).

Now, there are so many sandwich boards and signs out there, I'm surprised they're not bumping into each other.

There's this one dude who works for one of those companies that buys and sells gold. I see him every Friday when I'm on my way to cash my check on Rochester Road, and I have seen him for over a year now, rain, snow or shine. He wears headphones and is swiveling his sign like mad, all the time. And I just see him on Fridays. Doubtless he works the whole week as well.

The thing is---and granted, it's hard to tell just by driving by at 40 mph once a week---he seems perfectly happy to be doing it. Not bored at all. He walks up and down, forward and back, swiveling his sign.

To be honest, I don't even know where his employer's store is located. I only see him, not the actual store front.

But he's there, every week, with his gold sign with black print, walking up and down that tiny stretch of Rochester Road. He looks to be in his 20s, and physically fit.

I wonder what they pay people these days to be human sandwiches?


Back in the day, the sandwich board advertised people, not businesses


Is it worth the cost? Is such advertising really effective? Using my Friday Guy as an example, maybe not. You'll notice I have made mention of driving by him, but not knowing the name of his company, nor exactly where the store is located. And I've seen him do his thing for well over a year.

Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of having him there?

I also drive by an oil change place every night on my way home from work. That dude strays from the sidewalk, however, and damn near stands on the street. Kind of dangerous, if you ask me.

But again, does his presence make me want to get my oil changed?

Does any human sandwich influence your wanting to drop some dollars at the sandwich's business?

Regardless, there's no question that the human sandwiches are increasing in number. I guess it's the new wave of guerrilla marketing.

We've come a long way, I guess, since "Eat at Joe's" was the sandwich board of the day.

Not sure if that's good or bad.