The Curious Saga of the "Elephant Board" in St. Charles, MO

Who said billboard media buying isn't fun? Or challenging?

A few months ago, one of our clients came to us with a very specific billboard she wanted to have as part of her media mix. It had great lead time on a highly-trafficked highway. The board had been sitting vacant with an "Available" sign for months. The sign listed a phone number to call to buy the space.

Photo of the board sent to us by our client. Note: The full phone number was visible on the version we received!

Easy enough, right? Not so fast. When we called the number we got no answer. Over and over again we tried to call with no response. Did that deter our intrepid buyer Stacy Woelber?

Not one bit.

Stacy rolled up her sleeves and went to work to track down a contact.

Our investigation revealed that this particular board was a bit unique. It was sitting smack dab on top of a house - literally covering the roof! But more peculiar was what was in the back yard behind this house.

A life-size elephant could be seen as clear as day on Google maps. We've provided photographic evidence below.

Yes, that's an elephant in the back yard.

A little closer look at the elephant.

Through her dedicated detective work, Stacy tracked down the right contacts for the board (without giving away our secrets - it was no easy task!).

We also learned the backstory of the elephant. It was the former star of a famous St. Louis-area restaurant and roadside attraction called Noah's Ark (this article features photos of that same elephant!). After the restaurant closed, the owner used the yard for storage. If you're curious and want to learn more about Noah's Ark, like we did, check out this link and this link.

The final product!

Our client now has the beautiful billboard she wanted and is thrilled. We have lovingly nicknamed it the "elephant board."

To me, it's a testament to how hard our team works to serve our clients. An unanswered phone number won't stop us! If you have any fun or challenging media-buying puzzles - bring it on! - Lauren