The "Burma Shave" signs, road ads that rhyme...

[Dien Rice]

We've mentioned these before on the forum...

I just stumbled across this great article about those old "Burma Shave" road signs... "Burma Shave" was a pre-aerosol, brushless shaving cream for men.

These were humorous ads along the highways, that were on America's roads from 1927 to 1963...

The way they worked was a bit like a limerick... There were usually 5 or 6 "lines" and the last line was always "Burma Shave".

Each "line" was placed a little further along the road than the last one...

So the motorist would see the first line as one sign, then drive a little bit further, and see the second line as another sign, and so on...

Here are a few of the Burma Shave rhymes...

###

GRANDPA'S BEARD
WAS STIFF AND COARSE
AND THAT'S WHAT
CAUSED HIS FIFTH DIVORCE
BURMA SHAVE

###

THE CREAM
PRESERVES
PA'S RAZOR BLADE
THE JAR PRESERVES
MA'S MARMALADE
BURMA SHAVE

###

THE CANNIBALS
TOOK JUST ONE VIEW
AND SAID
HE LOOKS TOO NICE
TO STEW
BURMA SHAVE

###

I JUST JOINED
THE YOUNG MAN SAID
A NUDIST CAMP
IS MY FACE RED?
NO! I USE
BURMA SHAVE

###

You can read the article I saw - with ALL the Burma Shave rhymes - here...

http://www.salon.com/2012/05/15/amer...nds/singleton/

Even though these are ads, I find these kind of charming...

- Dien

Dien,

Thank you for finding this gem.

I've been doing an advertising training call once a week for several years, and yesterday's call focused on the Burma Shave signs. I remember them so clearly from travelling thru rural areas as a kid back in the 1950s.

The signs are fun to read, of course, and to remember. But the biggest reason for reading them is to understand the advertising model and see what parts of it can be adapted to whatever you're doing today:

1. Quick attention-grabbing ads: a set of 6 signs, and each sign is just 2 or 3 words.
2. Most Burma Shave sign sets are mini-stories. A lot of people struggle with how to tell an effective story quickly. Burma Shave signs are a great model.
3. Effective humor can build a relationship with your prospect and put them in the right frame of mind; attempts at humor are very, very difficult to get right in advertising. Usually it either goes unrecognized, or it's idiotic, and it's often plain offensive.
4. Anticipation. When I was a kid in the 1950s, back before the interstate system, I remember riding thru the farmland of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, always alert for the next group of Burma Shave signs. What could be more effective than getting people to look forward to your advertising?

Many people on my call remembered the Burma Shave signs ... which tells you a lot about my market. Anyway, thanks for pointing out that page.

Richard Dennis

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Richard Dennis

The signs are fun to read, of course, and to remember. But the biggest reason for reading them is to understand the advertising model and see what parts of it can be adapted to whatever you're doing today:

1. Quick attention-grabbing ads: a set of 6 signs, and each sign is just 2 or 3 words.
2. Most Burma Shave sign sets are mini-stories. A lot of people struggle with how to tell an effective story quickly. Burma Shave signs are a great model.
3. Effective humor can build a relationship with your prospect and put them in the right frame of mind; attempts at humor are very, very difficult to get right in advertising. Usually it either goes unrecognized, or it's idiotic, and it's often plain offensive.
4. Anticipation. When I was a kid in the 1950s, back before the interstate system, I remember riding thru the farmland of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, always alert for the next group of Burma Shave signs. What could be more effective than getting people to look forward to your advertising?

Hi Richard,

Thanks also for sharing these insights!

I can just imagine the thrill of seeing these enthralling Burma shave signs as people drove along American's highways in those days. It's a pity that there's nothing similar today!

I hadn't thought about it as deeply as you have, so I learned a lot from your points...

I like especially your point #2:

"Most Burma Shave sign sets are mini-stories. A lot of people struggle with how to tell an effective story quickly. Burma Shave signs are a great model."

The more I read, the more it gets drummed into my head the importance of conveying a story - even if it is just with a few words (or with a picture). Conveying a story with a just a few words is a very powerful skill to have...

Thanks for sharing your experiences and also your insights... Your points are absolutely right, and thanks for helping me to understand the value of these more deeply...!

Best wishes,

Dien