Autoblog

My father used to stripe parking lots as a side business, and while still with us, he will nonetheless find a grave, hop in it, and roll over after learning that his beloved lines are now being taped over with advertisements. Parking Stripe Advertising, a three years young agency from Colorado, is responsible for this scheme that covers those long yellow and white lines with a heavy-duty tape bearing promotional ads. The advertisements themselves cost about $40 per stripe and are made using a heavy-duty tape that's recyclable with adhesive that breaks down over time.

A current promotion advertising the return of ABC's Desperate Housewives is running concurrently in California and New York, and it appears to be a hit with the parking crowd, though store owners have reported a few complaints. Otherwise, consumers and advertising analysts alike think the idea is brilliant for the way it captures one's attention in a new and unique way.

[Source: Daily News via Kickingtires.com]

Being a second generation parking lot striper, I find the idea of parking stripe ads appalling and an insult to the art form. Yeah, I said it. Striping involves both muscle and a fair amount of brain power, as well as the ability to run after absent minded drivers swinging an orange cone and screaming "Watch the paint, @$$#%()!!!" To cover up all that work with nothing more than fancy colored duct tape so I'll watch Eva Longoria on Sunday nights, which I do anyway... well, it's just not right.