Is it just me, or do 90% of the billboards you pass by are subject to TMI, or too much information? Living in a major metro area, billboards are as commonplace as churches and taverns in small towns. With all of this emphasis on transportation advertising, you'd think the advertisers that pay big money for the real estate would spend some time on what they want their prospective customers to take away from their 10 second peek as they pass by each day. They obviously think we all have 20/20 vision and are speed readers. Billboard after billboard follows this TMI trend by offering concepts that cannot be "consumed" by the driver in a 5-10 second window of time.

Maybe I am just crazy, but do these advertisers hope that commuters will look at their billboard each day, taking a new piece of information away on each day of their travel in the hopes that at some point in the near future the message will sink in and drive some type of action? I wish that I could start an uprising with this post, driving marketers to get in the shoes of the commuter and remember one thing: They really could care less about you or your offering. With that understood, marketers should drive their agencies to s-i-m-p-l-i-f-y the the goals of outdoor advertising, focusing on the core message and one call to action takeaway for the commuter.

So with all of this ranting, I wanted to point out someone who is doing it well, at least in the Atlanta metro. Chick-fil-a has been advertising on I-85 south at the Brookwood Interchange coming into downtown Atlanta for a few years. And, unlike many other advertisers, are actually utilizing the medium effectively. This space is what I would refer to as an "extra jumbo," covering the side of a building. Chick-fil-a has been effective over time, offering a unique creative experience, with a simplified message. They actually get it right, time and time again.

Here's your challenge: over the next few mornings, spend some eyeball time checking out the billboards in your area. Do they suffer from TMI?