There is a new trend that is present in both the U.S. and Mexico --- the mobile billboard truck. These are not trucks with advertisements painted on the side. These are trucks whose only purpose is to advertise --- they are especially built for this purpose. They look like pick-up trucks but the rear of the truck is actually a billboard, and a rotating one at that. The truck drives down the main boulevards of a city and its sign changes periodically to advertise various products.
But while these trucks may seem strange to Americans, I was surprised to find they actually exist in the United States as well. And the trend is spreading. Many American communities have fought hard to outlaw them in the United States, however, here in Guadalajara there are few restrictions.
But if ever there was a bad idea that should be outlawed, this is it. Guadalajara already suffers from crippling traffic congestion, especially on its main surface streets. Sitting in a major traffic jam in brutal heat, there is no worse sight than a couple of these roaming billboards stopped in line in front of you. Mexico has a tendency to sometimes import America's worst forms of commercialism --- and this is no exception.
Ad trucks are no doubt annoying. But how prevalent and obnoxious are they compared to boom cars? In my neck of the woods, these days I can hardly go anywhere without getting pummeled by mind-numbing techno. Is it the same thing over there in Guadalajara?
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