Little green people spotted in Newbury
Advertising the wares of a well-known pizza chain, the sandwich board (or, as one member of our forum pointed out, pizza board) folk have been metronomically strolling up and the roads each day, attracting the occasional car horn and many odd glances.
It may be a sign that pizza wars seem to be hotting up on the streets of Newbury as rival chains have been seen targeting Northbrook Street in a similar manner, but the walking sandwich boards unfortunately don’t have much to say on the matter or seem that aware of their new-found fame.
When approached by NewburyToday two of the little green men and women would not give their names but confirmed they were a group of 10, originally from Hungary and could speak little English.
NewburyToday approached the well-known takeaway firm to seek answers as to why a practice dating from the 19th century has made a sudden reappearance in the town.
What was the thinking behind this new approach?
A throwback to simpler times in an effort to boost flagging sales?
A chance to utilise the extremely busy main roads of Newbury?
Or a cunning departure from an advertising world saturated with social media to capture the public's imagination with a campaign featuring real people?
The answers may never be known, as the firm behind the ploy remained tight-lipped.
A spokesman for Haslimann Taylor PR, Denver Coulson, said: “We do occasionally use sandwich board advertising as a local marketing tool, alongside other disciplines, to raise awareness of Papa John’s and our pizzas in the area.
“Unfortunately, due to the competitive nature of our industry we are unable to provide in-depth details on our marketing strategy.”
What do you think of the human sandwich boards?
Have they distracted you from your journey, or is even the offer of cut price pizza not enough to take your eyes from the road?
Tell us what you think.