PRIEN, GERMANY -- There are a couple of unique marketing strategies I've seen in Germany.
On a roundabout just outside of Munich there was a Chrysler Dodge dealership with an inflatable Statue of Liberty facing the main drag.
An interesting attempt at selling American made cars in a country that seems dedicated to conserving fuel. Plus, there are BMWs everywhere.
Another marketing tool involves the Germans use of construction space as an enormous tarp covers the work in progress and ad space is sold. I'm told that's the law in Germany, but am looking for more input.
Finally there are beer signs. Some have a pair of Bavarian pretzels and two frothy steins locked in a cheer.
Another has rich golden beer in sweaty pilsner glasses.
Then there's the billboard for for Lowengrube, posted in a small town outside Prien. It's at ground level and set on a turn. Risky, if you ask me.
The ad, of a woman and her breasts serving beer, is less than subtle. I'm surprised there isn't a crowd, standing in front, motionless, just staring, like it were television.
I'm sure the guy who passes while driving home from work hopes the billboard doesn't change for a really long time.
Got beer?
Judy is a Milwaukee native who is ever exploring the country. Her favorite mode of travel is her 21-speed, blue Centurion bicycle, which she bought after high school. Judy has worked in the local media for the past 20 years. "I need to do something to support my biking habit."
Judy has an extensive history in radio news, having worked at WISN, WUWM, WTMJ, WKTY in La Crosse and WBKV in West Bend. A strong interest in sports also had Judy reporting for ESPN Radio covering the Packers, Buck, Brewers and Badgers. "One of my first Brewer games at County Stadium the security guy yelled as I walked into the locker room LADY IN THE LOCKER ROOM. Now its so commonplace. But that story makes me sound really old."
Judy is currently working at WISN-TV in Milwaukee. She is a freelance writer and her pieces have been seen in The Small Business Times and The Business Journal. Her travel journal has appeared in Minnesota Trails Magazine, The Statesman and the West Bend Daily News, to name a few.
Aside from biking, running and being active in her community, Judy is known as someone who is "very, very thrifty." "I get candles for Christmas. My friends call them my space heaters because I normally keep the heat in my house at 40 degrees during the winter. Its not that I cant afford to turn up the thermostat, I just hate paying for heat."
Judy said her "conservative attitude" plays a part in her bike tours ... not needing to pay for gas and frequently spending nights camping inside churches. "First of all, it makes me feel safe since Im traveling alone and second all youre doing is sleeping, so why pay for that. Its no wonder I cant ever get someone to travel with me."
Judy grew up in Whitefish Bay and graduated from Dominican High School and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Judy is the second oldest among seven siblings and spends a lot of her time working as a "park tester" along with her eight nieces and nephews.
