Sign here...

And here and here and bloody everywhere.

I can't be the only one who has noticed this over the last few years - every spare bit of fence, wall, roundabout now has something draped over it. Often it is "Happy Birthday Rob" with a picture of 'Rob' as a baby, and is either taken down or blown away within the day. More common now is the banner for advertising purposes, a new gym opening, a special at the pizza place or a local fete. The issue with these is that they seem to appear over night all over the place, and stay there until the final piece of rope gives way and they blow down the road.

There are few things that put me off going somewhere more than the amount of crap there is advertising it in the surrounding area. Not decent signs telling you what and where, and taken down after the event, but just the generic "Come here for pizza" banners, half ripped and with no real indicator where it is you are supposed to go for pizza. More and more pubs and restaurants seem to think that the bigger the banner and the more plentiful the chalk boards outside the more people will come in. I am sure that this is not the case and people can work it out for themselves. A restaurant with prices in the £20s for a main course really should not have banners tied on lamp-posts in the town.

One that caught my eye today is here.

This is The Cherub pub / restaurant in Dartmouth, South Devon where we have come for the weekend to eat fish and crab, and Debbie has some photography work to do as well. The issue with this banner, apart from just being crap and not even tied up properly, is that it is actually invisible to almost everyone. This pic is taken from almost the only spot where you can actually see the front of the pub, which is about 10 yards from my "in-laws" doorstep. There is no other place you could see it from. The road in front is closed to traffic, the walking past people would not look up to see it, and if they did, like me, they would expect to see the old beamed building and hanging baskets.

This is a lovely pub, great beer and food have been had there on many a vist, so why spoil it with this tatty banner advertising the guest ale. I wonder how many people saw the banner and went in for a pint of Betty Stogs - my guess is zero.

Advertise your wares and business, but do it in a way that matches the business you want to attract.