Everyone makes mistakes, and more often than not for most of us these will come in the form of typos and grammatical mistakes. An odd comma here, a misspelt word there; typos are a common feature in just about every industry, particularly those that rely on the written word to communicate with an audience.
![cincinnati state billboard mistake]()
![reebok typo on the subway in new york]()
![loon mountain billboard typo]()
![grammatical error in a billboard]()
![recruitment billboard spelling mistake]()
![apostrophe mistake from a children's learning centre]()
![incorrect use of 'their' on a shop advert]()
![mitt romney campaign poster misspells america]()
![typo on a construction sign]()
![porsche car ad spells the car name wrong]()
For writers in the advertising and marketing industries, typos are the ultimate arch-nemesis in the quest for creating content - no matter how many times you run spell check, you can guarantee that one will slip through the net at one time or another (except for here at Out of Home International, of course...)
The severity of a typo can, of course, depend on which medium you're writing for. An accidental double space in a blog post isn't going to cause any long-term harm, for example, but for those of you who are tasked with showcasing your brand through a much more permanent medium, it can be a serious issue.
For those of you involved in outdoor advertising, you really do need to learn to proof your ad copy properly before plastering it over a billboard in front of millions. Proofing does indeed make perfect, so be sure to check your copy over, then check it again, then again, and then again. (Then you should probably get a colleague to look at it, too.)
For these unfortunate copywriters (well, presumably former copywriters), their work will now be forever live in the billboard typo hall of shame. Here are 10 of the worst ever mistakes to have made it through the often-not-so-rigorous advert proofing process...can you spot them all?
