Sheetz Pushes a Frickin’ Hot Button

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Residents in Altoona, PA are ready to tar and feather convenience story chain, Sheetz, for the “fowl” language on a recent billboard campaign.

A convenience store chain’s billboard advertising its fried chicken sandwich is ruffling the feathers of some residents. Sheetz unveiled the “Crispy Frickin’ Chicken” billboards at the beginning of February.

The campaign consists of 100 billboards placed locations that carry the sandwich, spokeswoman Monica Jones said Thursday. The campaign is aimed at young adults, and the company did not intend to offend anyone, Jones said.

“We’re kind of known for edgy, kind of brash advertising tactics, and we knew this would spark a certain amount of controversy,” Jones said. “That said, we’re proud of the campaign.”

Sheetz will take down the billboards on Wednesday, when the campaign is scheduled to end, Jones said. The company recently removed one billboard in Hazle Township, near Hazleton, after local officials fielded complaints.

I don’t see what the big deal is. There is a lot to be said about foul language running amok in our media, but I think a little creativity goes a long way. English is an interesting language in that it evolves and grows so freely. “Frickin’” is a prime example of that. It could be construed as a “bad” word, one for which children are chastised for muttering. But really, what’s the point? This particular word is frequently used to replace a less savory “f” word and many people feel more comfortable using it.

They could have gone a step further and called it “Freakin’ Chicken”. Except that wouldn’t have rhymed and so wouldn’t have gotten the attention it did. I think the advertisers at Sheetz did an amazing job getting this campaign some more eyeballs. I haven’t seen that particular billboard in my own town, but I’m more likely to think of Sheetz and Altoona when I hear it now. I’m certainly not going to associate it with a expletive spat out because of extreme anger or joy. Perhaps some of these folks are over wintered and need to invest in some Wilmington real estate (North Carolina). From what I understand it’s quite nice down there this time of year and they might benefit from getting rid of those icicles in their veins.

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