The cow billboards around Atlanta shine a little less today as we hear of the passing of Chick-fil-A founder, S. Truett Cathy.  He was 93.  A spokesman for the family said that Cathy died at home surrounded by family.  A public funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Jonesboro, GA.  Aside from his famous chicken sandwich and humorous cow themed marketing, Cathy is also known for closing his restaurants on Sunday and many philanthropic endeavors for children.  Cathy’s first restaurant was a diner, opened in 1946.  Chick-fil-A opened in 1967 and now operates more than 1800 locations in 39 states.  For more on Cathy’s career and funeral arrangements, click here.

If you’ve ever driven down into South Georgia, you’ve most likely seen the rows of billboard advertising lining the highway. The Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety was recently traveling in that area and decided he could put some of the available billboards to good use.  Harris Blackwood wants to tout the state’s “Click It or Ticket” program and thinks that rather than just one billboard, he wants to stretch the message between 2 or 3 billboards in a row.   That’s where you come in…The Macon Telegraph is taking your suggestions for an effective seat-belt message to be displayed on the billboards.  The winner will be announced on Sept. 22.  Click here for more information and where to send your susggestion

Billboards were a great tool here in Atlanta when the police department was hiring, and now the trend has spread south to Savannah.  The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department has launched a billboard campaign aimed at recruiting new members to the force after losing an average of seven members just last month.  The officer featured on the billboards is Lashawn Keller-Ransom of the West Precinct…she says she didn’t know they would be using her face on the boards, but she said it was a great opportunity.  The billboards are placed near several military bases in the Savannah area, and officials say the hope is to show the opportunity to personnel that may have been downsized from the service and are looking to stay in the Savannah area.  Currently, there are 50 open positions with the SCMPD.  For the full article, click here.

What would you do if you were walking along a busy street and suddenly heard a voice whispering in your ear?  Would you be afraid?  Angry?  Worried?   People walking along Prince Street in SoHo were confronted with that situation back in 2007 when A&E was promoting a new show called “Paranormal State.”  The billboard campaign used audio technology that could only be heard by individuals, not a loud speaker…the voice said, “Who’s there? Who’s there?  This is not your imagination.”  It sounds like a great way to draw attention to a show about ghosts, but probably was quite scary to those unaware any such technology was being used, especially if the person was passing by at night!   Paranormal State follows a team of investigators from Penn State University as they explore buildings where people claim to have experienced ghosts.  For the full article, click here.

It’s nearly football season and you don’t have to look far to know that fans are excited!  College football is taking center stage in Downtown Atlanta as Georgia Tech has launched a new billboard campaign around the metro area.  Tech is swarming downtown with several new designs, like the one pictured above…this campaign seems to be capitalizing on using images of real yellow jackets, which most people seem to agree, are quite formidable opponents and not to be outdone when their home turf is messed with!  The discussions on the forums on Georgia Tech fan sites seem to agree, anyone who has been unfortunate enough to come into contact with a swarm of yellow jackets did not come out on top.  But will this be the case on the grid-iron for Tech this year?  We’ll just have to wait and see!

It’s like having an art museum outdoors….great works of art are now being displayed on billboards around the country. It’s part of the “Art Everywhere US” movement putting famous works on display outside for the entire month of August. The program kicks off today in New York.  Pictured above, Chuck Close’s “Phil” and Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” on display in Times Square.  In addition to billboards, the program will put American artworks at bus stops and subway platforms. For more information, click here.

If you are going to trek along the Atlanta Beltline near Piedmont Park, someone will be watching…several billboards with only a set of eyes can be seen along that part of the trail.  It’s all part of an “Apparitions” display by artist Gregor Turk…the eyes are actually those of General William T. Sherman.   July 22nd was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta…Turk told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that his intention was to “reflect on the city’s progress and shortcomings since it’s destruction 150 years ago through the intimidating gaze of Sherman.”   The billboards will be up through mid-August.  For more information and a map of the exact location of the billboards, click here.

It’s the newest, most exclusive dining spot in Manhattan…and it’s on top of a billboard!  New York’s Red Rooster restaurant has just opened a 10 seater table on a specially built platform that sits on top of a billboard, 25 feet above Times Square.  It’s all part of Mastercard’s “Priceless” campaign.  For $50 a head, diner’s enjoy a 5 course meal from Chef Marcus Samuelsson.  The menu includes a smokes salmon roll, tomato-watermelon gazpacho soup, a miso grilled bass, lime-coconut curried chicken and buttermilk waffles with strawberry jam and vanilla ice cream.  All proceeds from the dinner go toward the Stand Up To Cancer charity.  The meal is already sold out for the next two weeks.  The structure is temporary and only open for a few weeks during the summer season. Story source: The Wall Street Journal.

The deadline is looming as construction is set to begin on I-75 in Cobb County in September.  Local billboard owners are asking the Marietta City Council’s judicial legislative committee to change a sign ordinance and allow several billboards in the construction zone to stay, rather than be demolished.  Under the current ordinance, the billboards have to be within 100 feet of the highway and no more than 70 feet tall.  But at last month’s meeting, the committee pushed the decision back another month.  Georgia Department of Transportation is adding two lanes on the west side of Interstate 75.  There is a total of 12 billboards affected…this is the second time billboard owners have met with the council. Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Discussion of the fate of billboards on I 75 continues

The hit show “Mad Men” is now in it’s 7th and final season, but they are not going out without a fight.  The show’s creator has teamed up with an ad agency to create an “Emmy Consideration” campaign…several billboards along L.A.’s Sunset Strip that feature the show’s cast of characters in 60’s style ads like the one pictured above.  Although the show won “Outstanding Drama” in it’s first 4 seasons, it has been passed over in the last two years.  Emmy nominations will be announced July 10th, with the awards show airing August 25th.  To see photos of all the billboards, click here.