Insider wants to make sure readers know this story was published on April 1, 2017.  APRIL FOOLS DAY.  Yes, it is a joke.

By Brent Baer, Historian-in-residence, Billboard Insider

As all of you veterans of the OOH business know, the term billboard came about by a guy named William Boarders. William was the first walking billboard. William, or Bill, worked with his father in the haberdashery business. The Great Depression created a hardship on family’s custom made clothing enterprise. Bill, being the youngest, was forced to abandon the warm confines of the store and ‘work the streets’ selling while wearing the custom made sign. While other haberdashers failed and closed their doors, Boarders booked a growing men’s apparel business and managed to survive and later even flourish. Local merchants took note of the success and would ask young Billy for an opportunity to promote their business on William’s ‘boards’. Soon, Bill was leasing his space for their messages. See photo.

The name, Bill’s Boards, became a generally accepted reference by the locals. Business owners would direct their secretary to, ‘place on ad on one of Bill’s Boards’. As years went on, William Boarders’ sign business evolved to the shortened version what we call today, Billboards. And William Boarders employees? The walking billboard men? Well, they became known as, Outdoor Salesman.

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