Pothole adverstising.

In the northern half of the United States where winter is fierce, the roads take a beating with the cold, the corrosive nature of the salt used to melt the snow and ice and the continual thawing and refreezing. The road begins to form potholes, actual holes in the roadway that inflict untold damage on hapless car tires. Municipalities expend substantial sums of tax revenue to maintain the roadways and fill the potholes.

KFC has come up with a creative way to solve the drain on municipal tax coffers. They will pay to fill the pothole, if they are allowed to stencil their logo on the street. The Chicago Tribune reported that:

The fast-food chain has sent off a letter to the nation's mayors, offering to patch their potholes for free. The company will leave behind a stenciled brand on the patch informing people the road has been "Re-Freshed by KFC.

While this story represents word of mouth advertising at its best, personally it is a horrible idea. I detest floor advertising in a grocery store. Allowing advertising on municipal assets is disgusting. First highway billboards, then buses, then bus stops, then cars and now streets.

I fully realize that many a municipality will jump at this because it brings in revenue without taxation, the "fools gold" of politics, however I am steadfast against anymore intrusions by advertising into every aspect our lives.