Businesses across Sarnia-Lambton are waging war on each other one sign at a time.
The COOL 106.3 Sign War began Friday morning and has grown to include over 60 businesses and counting.
(Mucho Burrito taking part in the COOL 106.3 Sign War. April 2021.)
Morning show host Max Major said he got the idea from a sign war going on in Christiansburg, Virginia.
"I just thought it was funny, so I threw a post up on the COOL 106.3 Facebook page and said 'let's start a war.' I knew that Sarnia would take to something like this -- we have so many great local businesses with so much personality," he said. "And you're seeing it now, you're seeing some of these great chirps from local businesses and I'm glad that everyone is enjoying it."
Max said the campaign instantly became a big hit with his initial Facebook post getting over 33-million views.
He said it's getting harder and harder to stay up-to-date with his 'war reports.'
"Whenever I post one of these 'war reports' on our Facebook page, it's getting 40,000 views on average. It's not just Sarnia, people from all over North America have become invested in Sarnia's sign war."
Max said he's received a lot of positive messages from area businesses taking part. He said the way these businesses are expressing themselves really reminds you of their human quality.
"I love the local businesses that have gotten back to me just saying 'this town, the business owners, we're ready to snap in this lockdown, and this has been a pressure release valve that has brought a lot of smiles to people,'" he said. "It's just goofy and fun, and it just brings out the personality and really reminds you that these local businesses are more than just signs and products, they're people."
Max has some advice for businesses still looking to get involved.
"Go hard, take it seriously. Honestly, if you really want to make a splash in this, then go hard on it. Rent a sign, make something big, really put yourself into this because there are a lot of eyes on this. This is war. Don't use a musket, use artillery."
Head to the COOL 106.3 Facebook page for Max's 'war reports.'