BATON ROUGE — Republican gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone has purchased a billboard as his first major ad buy for the 2019 election.
The bright yellow billboard features a nearly 10-foot-tall photograph of Rispone with the words, "I bought this billboard so the injury attorneys couldn't," along with Rispone's website address, logo and the words, "Conservative. Outsider. Businessman."
Rispone's campaign has been broadcasting the message that he is a conservative outsider who will "take on special-interest groups" across the state, according to an Eddie Rispone for Governor campaign press release.
"We felt it best to use the outdoor advertising space to our full advantage," campaign communications director Anthony Ramirez said in the press release.
Campaign officials felt that the billboard was an obvious choice because many Louisianans are trapped in traffic jams regularly, according to the press release, which cites a Texas A&M Transportation Institute Urban Mobility Study from 2015 that notes Louisiana's capital region is ranked third in "highest commuter delays" for medium-sized cities nationwide with 47 hours per year.
"Since January, we’ve put over 10,000 miles on my truck, with nearly 50 campaign stops across the state," Rispone said in the release. "A few things stand out on my travels: the outpouring of support, just how great my yard signs look against the wonderful Louisiana scenery, better than expected gas station food, and how many yellow personal-injury billboards I’ve seen."
Rispone is the only full-time candidate currently in the election, according to the release. It also claimed that utilizing the billboard was taking a page from the book of the "most prolific advertisers in Louisiana," providing another light-hearted dig at the state's trial attorneys.
"If you can’t beat 'em, join 'em," Rispone was quoted in the press release.
The advertisement cost five figures and will launch in the Baton Rouge metro area before expanding to other markets.