A sign war is a competition between two or more organizations to gain the best visibility, or simply to engage in friendly “one-upmanship”. A famous sign wars is between McDonald’s and Dairy Queen in a small Missouri city. It started when a McDonald’s employee, who was in charge of changing the letters on the sign, posted “HEY DQ! WANNA HAVE A SIGN WAR”. A week later, DQ responded with, “WE WLD BUT WERE 2 BUSY MAKIN ICECREAM”, which was the start of the roast battle. DC referenced a running joke that McDonald’s ice cream machines are frequently broken. McDonald responded quickly with, “THAT’S CUTE. OUR ICECREAM MAKES ITSELF”. This sign war went on for a couple of weeks. During these couple of weeks, other fast foods companies joined the war- like Wendy’s. The sign war eventually ended as businesses moved on to their regular promotions and advertising. While the friendly rivalry entertained locals and spread online, the companies shifted focus back to their daily operations.
Sign Wars
Abigail Grey, Reporter
March 13, 2025
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