Advertising

[esigler]

I recently saw on a site that a group got together and pooled there money to advertise hatgun saves lives. This is pro-active, to keep our gun rites maybe even advertise in IL to help them get theirs?

by Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America


A bunch of us got together over dinner recently (remember Tactic #1, go
to dinner with a bunch of like-minded friends?). We decided that
billboards would be a good way to get the word out about the positive
side of firearms -- a message that is constantly censored in mainstream
channels.

It turned out to be pretty easy. We have two billboards going up in
downtown Phoenix this month. You could do this too. Here are the
details.



Although large highway billboards are out of range, at thousands of
dollars a month, 6-foot by 12-foot city street billboards are just $125
a month, on a six-month contract. These are the billboards where you
see ads for gun shows and all sorts of products. In Phoenix, there are
1,400 of them, all run by Infinity/Outdoor Systems, the largest
billboard company in America. You pay for the first and last month, and
they bill you monthly for the rest.

The art charges to print the message in two colors are about $175.
Extra printed copies are only $5 each -- make a few in case your
billboard gets weather damage or graffiti. Plus, it's a great way to
decorate your room, or use at a convention, gun show, club house, etc.
Five bucks for a 6x12 foot sign!

The billboard company gives you a list of boards whose contracts are
expiring soon and will become available. Be sure to ask for locations
right in the heart of downtown. Drive around and eyeball the billboards
yourself -- some are obscured or otherwise pretty crummy, while others
are in high traffic spots and in your face.

You need approval for the message, and the company refuses messages they
consider too inflammatory (freedom of the press, as you may know,
belongs to the person who owns the press). We've obtained approval for
our basic design -- a red heart logo that says "Guns Save Lives" with a
red border and a stylish bold black headline.

Our first billboard was funded by contributions from the people at
dinner, and is "sponsored" by The Arizona State Rifle and Pistol
Association (their name and website -- asrpa.com -- appears on the
bottom of the sign; their website has a nifty set of pages supporting
the campaign). The second one is funded and sponsored by Bloomfield
Press.



Here's my recommendation. You should get a local group or your company
or friends to put up a billboard where you live, because the costs are
so reasonable. I'd personally encourage you to take advantage of our
design, to increase the impact and become part of a "campaign," but that
will run an extra $35 in art costs, so you may decide to start from
scratch and design the whole thing on your own. Just help get the word
out, however you do it.

Pick a message, I'll have my graphic artist format it into the logo
design, and he'll send you a proof and make corrections if necessary.
Then he'll send it electronically formatted to the billboard company's
specs, and send copies to you in easy-to-use PDF, GIF and JPEG formats.
If you want to use the final art for non-profit T-shirts, bumper
stickers or whatever else, that's fine with us.

In Phoenix, you contact Infinity/Outdoor Systems at 602-353-0157. In
other locations you gotta figure out the phone number yourself, by
getting the name right off the billboard itself. I already said this is
easy.

Now for the hard part -- you have to decide what to post. We yokked
around with this for weeks -- as a writer I can tell you that the fewer
the words, the harder it is to settle upon them. We came up with a
bunch of choices (below) and you're welcome to use them. Please let me
read any ideas you dream up on your own.

Traffic studies show our two signs are in front of 64,000 cars daily,
and we're planning for more. We also have publicity plans to attract
the attention (wrath?) of local media. As soon as the self-righteous
anti-rights zealots start to complain we can count on extra camera crews
and editorial ink to further spread the word.

To fire up your creative juices here are some positive pro-rights
messages we've created, designed to complement the "Guns Save Lives"
heart logo. Get cracking and get up one or more billboards in your home
town!


"Disarm The Criminals First"

"Guns Are Why America Is Free"

"Guns Are Why America Is Still Free"

"Every 45 Seconds
A Handgun Saves A Life"

"Our Guns Protect Your Freedom"

"83 Million Armed Homeowners Know:"
"Our Guns Protect Your Safety"

"Guns Save Lives"
(as the headline and in the logo)

"Life Preserver"
(with a picture of a gun)

"Disarming An Honest Person
Is An Act Of Violence"

"Society Is Safer When Criminals
Don't Know Who's Armed"

"Marksmanship:
It's The Responsible Thing To Do"

"Anyone Can See:
The Public Needs Marksmanship Training"

"Dial 911... And Prepare To Die"

"Gun Owners:
Get In Some Range Time This Week"

"Help Stop The Violence:
Buy A Gun And Get Trained"

"Guns Stop Crime"

"Self Defense Is A Civil Right"

"Self Defense Is A Human Right"

"Self Defense Is A Fundamental Right"