The more advertising we see, the more we get used to tuning it out and the harder companies have to work to get our attention. Car companies are, of course, no exception. Oddly enough, one of the biggest car ads of all time was done by a car company that hasn’t built a car since 1966. In 1938, with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps, Studebaker planted 8,259 6-inch seedlings in an area extending about 2,000 feet. Together, the seedlings spelled out the word STUDEBAKER in letters more than 250 feet tall. They were easy to read from the air, which is exactly what Studebaker intended. The sign was a salute to the growing aviation industry and a handy publicity stunt that could be seen by overflying aircraft passengers. Unfortunately, while the trees and sign grew, Studebaker withered. After years of financial problems, the company closed its last remaining production facility in 1966. They sold the land on which the trees stood to the Bendix Corporation, which donated some of the property for the creation of a county park. The Studebaker sign remained, but after years of disease and storm damage, the dead trees were removed and new saplings planted in their place. The Studebaker sign still stands today and will keep on standing and growing for all to see……..well, at least from the air and on Google Earth.
