Sheepvertising

last updated 8 January 2015

Skarsterlan, Netherlands

A Dutch firm has begun advertising its services on the backs of sheep. Hotels.nl, an online reservations company, emblazoned its logo on blankets that were slung over 12 dozen sheep in flocks across the Netherlands. The hope is that motorists tootling along country roads will find the live ads more charming than stationary billboards. But the town of Skarsterlan, which bans all roadside ads, was not amused, and this week officials levied fines against the company. “My first reaction was a smile—it is very creative,” said Skarsterlan Mayor Bert Kuiper. “My second reaction is that we have to stop this. If we start with sheep, then next it’s the cows and horses.”