On a recent trip back from Atlanta, I noticed a billboard trying to coax drivers into visiting a nearby Civil War battlefield. The main message read something like, "See where soldiers fought and died." Completely appropriate for a Civil War site, right? There was just one thing that bothered me and caused a double-take.
Next to this rather somber message was the large image of a young boy smiling brightly as he sat between two Civil War reenactors. I could easily see two different ways to market a historic site based on the messages presented. Placed together, I found the message muddled at best.
If you are going to market a historic Civil War site as a place to take the family, the image is fine. Say, "Bring your family face-to-face with history." Generic? Yes, but you get the idea. In my mind, seeing what was done, you could have placed the image of a smiling family next to a message advertising a trip to the nearest cemetery to the same effect. Creepy. On the other hand, the message presented would seem to have accompanied a line of grim-faced reenactors marching across the battlefield to their fate much more effectively.
Whatever the thought was behind the billboard, I think that there must have been a breakdown in communication somewhere. When departments collaborate together; images, words, and whatever other tools employed work to compliment each other. Otherwise, you get kids smiling over the thought of viewing the ground where men fought and died. Again, just a little creepy.
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