Discovered Underwater Advertising Above Ground

I was one of many people who became a believer of an unusual marketing stunt from a Seattle-based seafood restaurant. The Ivar’s restaurant chain chose to use a “hoax” as a form of advertisement. What could have been a disaster ended up being a successful marketing ploy.

The Story

Ivar Hagund, the founder of the seafood restaurant, had a reputation for creating outlandish marketing schemes to promote his Ivar’s chain in the early 1940’s. A local ad agency used Hagund’s reputation as leverage to help deploy a hoax on the city. A rumor was created that Hagund placed underwater billboards around the sound, advertising his business to local submarine traffic. Sketches of billboards and maps the of possible locations were fabricated to help aid the hoax. In August of this year, one of Hagund’s rumored billboards was supposedly found and hoisted out of the water.

It turns out these billboards were constructed earlier this year and dropped into the sound. By leaving the signs in the water for months, algae and barnacles attached to the billboards—giving them a more “authentic” look.

The Seattle Times stated that:

“...about $250,000 was spent on the hoax and the follow-up TV and radio ads and real highway billboards.”

Advertising the Hoax

Like any highway sign, Hagund’s billboards were displayed in public. I was amazed to actually see them in person. Even though they were placed alongside regular billboards, I would imagine how they would have looked if I was in a submarine passing by these underwater signs.

I have to admit I was deeply disappointed when I found out the whole thing was a marketing prank. Part of me wanted to believe someone was kooky enough to advertise to the underwater demographic. Even still, I have to applaud Ivar’s for coming up with a unique way to promote their restaurant and their .75 cent cup of chowder!