Burma-Shave and the trip to Mars

Snopes has the wonderful story of Burma-Shave and a promotional stunt gone awry. Burma-Shave is famous for its advertising technique, using small sets of roadside signs forming a humorous couplet or joke.

Don't Take A Curve At 60 Per We Hate To Lose A Customer Burma-Shave

Keep Well To The Right Of The Oncoming Car Get Your Close Shaves From The Half-Pound Jar Burma-Shave

Don't Pass Cars On Curve Or Hill If The Cops Don't Get You Morticians Will Burma-Shave

Burma-Shave was sold to Philip-Morris in 1963 and the company ceased operations. The Snopes story is about one set of signs that backfired on them in 1955:

Free � Free
A Trip
To Mars
For 900
Empty Jars
Burma-Shave

From Snopes:

Burma-Shave had not reckoned on the determination of Arliss French, manager of a supermarket in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Mr. French wired Burma-Shave he was accepting their offer � where should the jars be shipped? In response, the company wired back:

If A Trip
To Mars You Earn
Remember, Friend
There's No Return

French was not to be dissuaded. He countered with another telegram:

Let's Not Quibble
Let's Not Fret
Gather Your Forces
I'm All Set

What could Burma-Shave do but respond?

Our Rockets Are Ready
We Ain't Splitting Hairs
Just Send Us The Jars
And Arrange Your Affairs

Underneath the bravado, Burma-Shave was concerned. They sent Ralph Getchman, their general manager, to Appleton to find out what was going on and determine just how serious this French fellow was.

Getchman's report was not what the home office had been hoping for. Arliss French's store was festooned with reproductions of the key Burma-Shave signs. Full-page ads run in the local paper entreated: "Send Frenchy to Mars!" Within the store was a huge pile of empty jars, and it was growing day by day. Also in the store was a mock rocket ship for the kids to swarm over. And from the roof of the establishment, little green men fired toy rocket gliders out over the parking lot.

On the spur of the moment, the head of Burma-Shave recommended offering the determined grocer a trip to the Mars Candy Company in Chicago for a weekend on the town. It was that spontaneous utterance that planted the suggestion of a solution in his head, a solution that was to provide everyone with enough wiggle room to look like the offer had been honored.

When French presented himself at Burma-Shave's head office, he was dressed for his trip � he arrived sporting a bubble on his head and clad in a silvery space suit with a big red owl on the front. His 900 jars arrived in a Brink's armored truck emblazoned with a "Send Frenchy To Mars!" sign.

Burma-Shave was ready � they presented tickets for French, his wife, and twelve children to travel to Moers, a little town in Germany that mercifully pronounced its name "mars." The Frenches were handed full jars of Burma-Shave and given the advice they be used to barter with the natives for goods and services.

The photos were many and the news coverage extensive. The Frenches enjoyed their German vacation, and Burma-Shave once again netted more by way of publicity than it lost in meeting its obligation.

Great story -- when I was growing up, my family used to drive a lot and I remember looking forward to seeing the signs. Never used the product but the signs were great.