
Driving south on Interstate 94—south of Milwaukee, about 10 miles from the Wisconsin-Illinois state line and not far from the Mars Cheese Castle—there’s a billboard off to the right in farmland with the Buc-ee’s name and logo proclaiming: “469 MILES.”
The distance, in yellow, all-capped type, grabs one’s attention. The location 469 miles away is in Richmond, Kentucky.
The sign has been in place for several months, long before the recent announcement of the convenience-store chain opening its first store in Wisconsin in early 2027 in Oak Creek, just south of Milwaukee (but after news of Buc-ee’s intentions to build a location in DeForest, Wisconsin, near Madison—plans that are now delayed).
Buc-ee’s has had other such signs as well, one in California noting a location 1,327 miles away and one in Michigan advertising a location 444 miles away.
Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ee’s, last year told WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, “We’re growing across the country, and we have identified certain locations, including in Michigan, where we believe those folks going south will appreciate getting notified 400, 500 miles in advance that a Buc-ee’s is likely to be in their path on their travels south, and we just want to make sure that they think of us as they are coming near our stores.”
CSP reached out to convenience-store consultants and a restaurant owner to get their take on this advertising. Here’s what they said:
Rachel Toner
“I love this,” said Rachel Toner, founder and technical director of Chalfont, Pennsylvania-based Taste Strategy. “It’s a lighthearted and strategic marketing play by Buc-ee’s. Simple yet so complex. The use of 469 miles is humorous. They could have rounded up to 470, but they didn’t.”
From a consumer perspective, “it could mean a variety of things, but I’d hypothesize it’s to build brand awareness and connection,” Toner said.
From the viewer’s perspective, if they have limited awareness of Buc-ee’s, they might think:
- What’s Buc-ee’s?
- It must be an attraction, I’ve got to stop next time.
- That’s funny. Buc-ee’s must be a fun brand.
Assuming awareness of the brand, a consumer might think, seriously or humorously:
- Why is it so far away?
- Buc-ee’s, please build one closer to home.
- Nostalgia: I miss Buc-ee’s. Maybe I’ll just up and move closer to Buc-ee’s.
“Maybe it’s a ‘flex’ to other brands to show that consumers would really drive 469 miles to go to Buc-ee’s,” Toner added. “Or maybe it’s a teaser. 'Coming soon'?”
Kyle Drenon
Kyle Drenon, co-owner of the Springfield, Missouri-based ad agency Supper Co., said placing a billboard so far away suggests Buc-ee’s is worth the wait and is a destination. The billboard builds intrigue about the brand as more than a gas station.
“That route is still a common one on I-75 northbound, and Richmond is a common stopover for car travelers,” Drenon said. “Buc-ee’s is also known for being quirky and clever. Their strategy did get you to write a piece on it after all!”
Richard Poye
Richard Poye, founder of Nashville-based Fresh Foods Think Tank, said these signs are not simply advertisements—they’re part of the journey. “They draw parallels to iconic marketing techniques used along historic Route 66, South of the Border in South Carolina and trading posts across Arizona and New Mexico,” he said. “Brands like Buc-ee’s tap into the nostalgia of long road trips, using billboard placement to build anticipation.”
‘Brands like Buc-ee’s tap into the nostalgia of long road trips, using billboard placement to build anticipation.’
These destination billboards are often spaced strategically to cover a long stretch of highway, teasing features like food, shopping or unique amenities every few miles, Poye said. “As travelers get closer, the frequency of billboards increases, maintaining engagement and building curiosity,” he said.
Destination billboards appeal to emotions and the sense of adventure, positioning the brand as a cultural icon or bucket-list stop, Poye said. “Buc-ee’s, with its playful and over-the-top messaging, leans into this approach by making the store an attraction in itself,” he said.
By placing a sign 469 miles away, Buc-ee’s is harnessing this tradition to cultivate intrigue and brand awareness, Poye said. “For Buc-ee’s, the billboard isn’t just about selling gas or snacks—it’s about positioning the brand as an iconic part of the American road trip, capturing travelers' imaginations like Route 66 and South of the Border did for generations before.”
‘The sign reinforces its reputation as not just a gas station but a destination.’
Using billboards can be a good idea under specific conditions:
Buc-ee’s is trying to drive brand awareness; it isn’t just promoting the Richmond, Kentucky, location—it’s promoting the brand. The sign serves as a teaser for future expansions, such as the proposed location in DeForest, Wisconsin. It primes the audience to anticipate Buc-ee’s arrival in their area.
Buc-ee’s and locations like South of the Border in South Carolina have cultivated a fanbase using billboards. “It seems like consumers now fear of missing out if they don’t make a stop at these locations.”
Buc-ee’s is known for its over-the-top marketing, he added. “Its strategic playfulness aligns with its quirky, larger-than-life brand personality,” Poye said. “The sign reinforces its reputation as not just a gas station but a destination.”
Measuring success in this case can be challenging but possible through several metrics, Poye said:
- Look for spikes in digital engagement (Google searches) for “Buc-ee’s near me” or website visits from the Milwaukee/Illinois region.
- Monitor social media mentions on platforms like Bluesky, X or Instagram for posts and photos of the sign. Buc-ee’s fans often share their experiences and excitement online.
- Conduct in-market brand recognition surveys in the region to see if brand awareness has increased since the billboard was placed.
Poye added that while this sign promotes a distant location, it is a teaser for future expansion and lays the groundwork for the local location by familiarizing the regional audience with the brand. “It’s a long-term brand investment rather than a direct call-to-action,” he said.
Signs like this are buzz-creation conversation starters, Poye said. “They’re designed to generate word-of-mouth and social marketing, often more impactful than the sign itself,” he said.
Stafford Shurden
Stafford Shurden, owner of Stafford’s Market in Drew, Mississippi, said billboards don’t work as effectively as they used to, largely because so many people, even drivers, are distracted by their cell phones.
“For a billboard like that to succeed it would need incredible brand loyalty,” he said. “Buc-ee’s has that. Could you imagine the same billboard saying, ‘Insert Random Shell Station Here’? It wouldn’t be the same.”
Buc-ee’s has created such a strong brand that people on long road trips actually plan their stops around its locations, Shurden said. “Their billboards capitalize on loyalty, serving more as confirmation than persuasion,” he said.
‘Their billboards capitalize on loyalty, serving more as confirmation than persuasion.’
“As a restaurant owner, I don’t use billboards like that because long-distance travelers aren’t my target market nor are they even aware of me from such a long distance,” he said. “My advice for anyone considering billboards is to first know your buyer persona before spending money on marketing. Buc-ee’s deeply understands its customers, and that’s why this approach works for them.”
Many billboards fail because they cram in too much information, making them hard to read at 70 mph, Shurden said. “Buc-ee’s keeps it simple with just a clean design with logo, name and mileage,” he said.
Bill Nolan
Bill Nolan, a partner with the Business Accelerator Team, Phoenix, said most people in Wisconsin are probably not aware of Buc-ee’s, so the billboard initiates brand recognition for those with inquisitive minds.
“And the mileage message just adds to the ‘what the hell’ does that mean?” he said. “So, this may just draw you in. If this makes you go to the Buc-ee’s website, the reader will probably be blown away by the Buc-ee’s story and retail experience that’s coming to Wisconsin. Interestingly, the billboard doesn’t even have the website address listed.”
‘Interestingly, the billboard doesn’t even have the website address listed.’
As far as measuring the billboard’s success, initially it will probably be via social media, he said. “The creator of this billboard realizes total understanding is just a swipe away on your smartphone, and bingo, Buc-ee’s now has an interested consumer wondering when and where!
“Think of it this way: If you’re an avid fly fisherman and you hear that the trout fishing is great in Wisconsin, but nothing else about where in Wisconsin to go, you begin your research, and if you have a successful learning experience, the result is much more rewarding than someone drawing you a map.”
Steve Morris
Steve Morris, president of Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Retail Management Inc., said, “Billboards such as Buc-ee’s and the [South Dakota's] incomparable Wall Drug tend to work as these types of destinations are truly fan favorites and the stores and shopping complexes become something of lore.”
The use of out-of-store advertising by Buc-ee’s is consistent for their brand and their stores across the country, Morris said. “Creating that desire to ‘stop and see,’ the adventure that has to be planned in the drive time, to spend a solid 30 minutes or more exploring the site,” he said.
Morris, a former marketing director for a medium-sized c-store retailer, said his out-of-home budget was always difficult to directly connect to a return-on-investment value, “even though savvy ad reps will equate a value per impression that marketing folks cling to as proof of value. In truth, this former marketing director thinks it’s a bit of a smokescreen if one hopes to solicit provable data points of transactions and customers specifically driven by out-of-home or out-of-store advertising.”
‘Billboards such as Buc-ee’s and the Midwest’s incomparable Wall Drug tend to work as these types of destinations are truly fan favorites.’
“We’re not the only ones that sell Snickers bars and Monster Energy drinks,” Morris said. “Advertising our typical promotions may not be enough to drive an additional transaction, so the out-of-store and out-of-home advertising should focus on what makes your location different. Loyalty program? Amazing customer service? Creative and unique offerings? The vast majority of us are not going to have the Wall Drug mall or the 35,000-square-foot behemoth destinations that are Buc-ee’s to be able to tease for 100-mile radiuses.”
“The average retailer in the industry likely doesn’t think they have a budget to compete with this type of advertising dollars, as the return of the investment is so mysterious,” Morris said. “I’d tend to agree, thinking that if I had $2,800 to spend in advertising for a 30-day period, where do I get the biggest bang. What’s my goal? What’s my offer?”
Morris added that, arguably, growing brand awareness and location/brand recall can be valuable—and that out-of-home advertising is an effective method of gaining those impressions.
“But the number of impressions and the number of times that has to get in front of somebody’s eyeballs to create an action is most likely more than one time,” he said. “And remember, what do I have that’s different than the guy across the street? Because if that answer is ‘nothing,’ then I say that money is better spent elsewhere, perhaps in creating that point of differentiation that can then be leveraged moving forward.”
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