Vic Method – December 11th, 2020

“The billboard will not be posted” was the voicemail I received upon checking into my hotel in Tampa late the night of February 20, 2008.    This was very odd, as several hours earlier, after finishing an interview at NPR headquarters in Washington DC, I had spoken with the Account Executive of Pattison Outdoor Advertising in Vancouver, British Columbia and was assured that the billboard would be posted on Friday the 22nd  as scheduled. Some background is in order.

In January 2008, the Vancouver Olympic Committee inaugurated the 2010 Olympic ski jump venue in Squamish with the Canadian Nationals, also including the US team, and on that day, while it was never, ever said that women were better than men, or vice versa, in the fight to add women’s ski jumping to the Olympics, Lindsey Van, from the same starting gate (the weather was fearful and to get the competition in, athletes were sent from one bar, mixing men and women), outjumped all competitors, male and female, setting the hill record that stood until the Olympic competition in 2010.  Ironic because the IOC had rejected the FIS recommendation to include women ski jumpers in 2010.  During the competition, the Canadian press picked up on the story of the fight by women’s ski jumpers for their chance at being added to the Olympic program.    A young reporter at CTV, Alex Blair, said to us, “You guys—the IOC’s coming up in mid-February, for their big visit to check on all the venues. You should put up a billboard. And you should do a rally. And you should make a lotta noise.”

My father, Victor Method, made his living managing billboard companies, so I knew a little about that industry.   I recruited Margaret Hart, one of my former Creative Directors at Digitas, to develop the artwork for the billboard, and I contacted Patty DeVivcinci at Patterson Outdoor.  I explained I would be paying for the billboard, and what we wanted to accomplish.   She called back a couple days later with what would turn out to be one of the greatest media buys of all time.  “I can get you the billboard directly across the road from VANOC’s 2010 headquarters!”   I told her, “done”.    She also added a billboard near the airport.

We worked with Margaret on the design, adding “Just” to the world “Imagine” and the billboard was printed, and we alerted the press to the date it would be posted outside VANOC’s headquarters.   All was set and as I flew from Washington DC to Tampa for business, I was pleased this all was going to happen, then I got the late-night voicemail.

The next morning, I got into action and put a call to the CEO of Patterson Outdoor in Toronto.   A receptionist put me through to him and I explained, “This billboard is to be posted, I have a contract, I know your industry (I dropped the names of all the top executives my father knew) and every newspaper in Canada is going to cover this billboard.”   His response, “What is going on, I know nothing about this and women ski jumpers.   Will you give me a couple hours to get to the bottom of this?”    Four hours later, the phone call from his office to me was, “The billboard will be posted as scheduled.”

We were told that executives at VANOC said while watching the billboard being posted from their offices, “How did they do that?”    Jacques Rogge, IOC President had to walk past the billboard during his visit to VANOC. We were also told he instructed VANOC to rent every billboard near a venue for 2010 so this could not happen again.   Did it help?   It was part of an effort to create awareness by a concerted group of volunteers helping to allow athletes, in this case women ski jumpers pursuing their dreams of being Olympians.  Women’s ski jumping has now crowned Olympic champions in 2014 and 2018 and most importantly the sport is growing because dreams can come true.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/women-s-ski-jumping-billboards-add-to-controversy-1.278094