The billboard in question

In what may be the latest instance of businesses causing controversy, a local billboard has recently stirred up a hornet’s nest of social reaction. The business in question—Twice Daily—is a local convenience store with which many Nashville natives are familiar.

Call me crazy, but I really don’t see a problem with it. At all.

Critics of the billboard/ad campaign are calling its meaning “insensitive” and “offensive,” among other things. But, according to one of the fundamental principles of media I learned while getting my degree in Mass Communications from MTSU, meaning is made at the intersection between text and reader.

So what does that mean? Well, it means that several factors are used to determine meaning, as opposed to one fixed translation. Things like context, audience and intent come into play.

Personally, I think that the intentions of the billboard are not only obvious, but rather innocent. You have a company with so many openings available for work, it actually had to take out an advertisement (I don’t think billboard ads are cheap, so they must really want people).

Oh, so a company is hiring! With lots of jobs! That’s good news, right?

Not necessarily. Delivery of the message is just as important. Things like irony and sarcasm can change the meaning of the message’s interpretation, as well as grammar. I point to such comparisons in statements as the infamous “Let’s eat Grandma!” versus “Let’s eat, Grandma!” as a helpful reminder of grammar’s (not to mention Grammaw’s) importance. So, let’s look at the message again.

“Musicians. Singers. Songwriters. (We’re Hiring.)”

Seems pretty straightforward to me.

Now, let’s talk implications and assumptions—you know, those slippery little buggers that are hard to pin down, as they seem to keep changing from person to person. This is where the objective devolves in the subjective. The major implication that I’ve heard in reference to this ad is that the billboard is insulting to musicians because of the suggestion of a line of work so beneath them.

I’ve heard several people assume that the ad is targeting all musicians/singers/songwriters. That, however, is unrealistic, as people with established careers in the music industry are not going to leave their dream job to go work at a convenience store.

I mean, could you imagine walking into Twice Daily and seeing Kix Brooks, and asking him to put $40 on Pump 5? It’s funny, but unrealistic.

So, with that said, one can conclude that the ad isn’t targeting all musicians/singers/songwriters, because it wouldn’t make sense to do so. So who is the advertisement targeting? Why, people looking for work. But some might say that that’s offensive because it’s implying that musicians/singers/songwriters aren’t making money, and should lower themselves into working at a gas station.

There are a lot of problems with that logic. The first problem is that Nashville is Music City. People love music, and it’s quite often that we bump into people in our daily lives who are somehow associated with music. Some of these people are established members of the music industry, and some are simply aspiring to follow their dreams. It’s much like many of the people in Los Angeles, who are aspiring filmmakers who move to L.A. to work on movies. Because of the competition, many actors and screenwriters wind up working jobs waiting tables.

Throwing another personal story into the mix, I have a few photographer friends who say that they have a tough time booking bands as clients because many of the bands claim that they’re unable to afford band pictures.

So, it would stand to reason that since many people move to Nashville to follow their dreams in music, that many people can’t get work (since there are a finite number of jobs) and wind up working in other fields, temporarily or permanently.

Now, let’s look at the billboard again:

Once again, I’d like to remind you that people are getting offended by this billboard. I’d also like to point out that it’s not the “speech” of the statement that’s offensive, but the speaker. Say that this were any other advertiser. Say Gibson Guitar Corporation was hiring guitar technicians. Or some new music publication was hiring writers to cover the Nashville music scene. I know many people who would jump at those opportunities, because they view that as a big step in the right direction. If a different company made the ad—Dell Inc., for instance—people might be confused, as they wouldn’t understand the correlation between computer technology and musicians. So from that, we learn that the entity offering the employment opportunities directly affects how people receive the advertisement. But the offending advertiser is a gas station, and many people would say that’s not a step in the right direction for musicians/singers/songwriters.

I respectfully disagree with that. The ad is obviously targeting people who need work: people who need to survive to be able to live long enough to see their dreams in music realized. The old saying “any port in a storm” comes to mind, and when people are looking for work, they tend to choose the best options available. Jobs like those offered at Twice Daily give these people a helping hand by offering income and flexibility that can cater to their schedules.

My biggest problem with this assessment has nothing to do with the billboard, but with those complaining. The implication that many of the critics of the billboard made was that working for Twice Daily—or other jobs in the service industry—was somehow beneath them. It would have to be to produce such a reaction, otherwise no one would have complained. I find that extremely offensive, and a major slap in the face to anyone working in the service industry. The critics of the billboard are practically saying that those who work in service industry are beneath them. Let’s take a moment and remind these people of where they are: Nashville. You know, the capitol of the Volunteer State and the mecca of the music genre made for the working class. Many country music stars came from humble beginnings, working these kinds of jobs before they actually made it big. So, if nothing else, Twice Daily is offering an authentic experience for musicians to work just like those who came before them, letting them build character.

If I have missed or overlooked anything, please let me know in the comments below. I’m happy to continue a dialogue on this so long as it’s civil. Otherwise, I’d like to thank the folks that work at Twice Daily, as well as the entirety of those who work in the service industry. You are the glue that holds society together, doing jobs that no one else will.

Thanks!