Answered: Mystery solved
Well, the mystery seems to have been solved folks — and unfortunately it’s rather anticlimactic.
According to an e-mail we received from Clear Channel Outdoor, the company that handles advertising at SacRT bus stops, the poster for Taylor Lautner’s second-worst movie was exposed following the recent removal of another ad campaign.
To make matters worse? They told us they’d be placing new ad copy by the end of the week, meaning our inquiry effectively killed this joke.
We’re really sorry y’all — we’d prefer to keep the janky aesthetic ourselves.
Asked: What’s the deal with this bus stop ad?
City Editor Jordan here — during my usual daily Reddit browsing, I came across this thread, which showed an oddly out-of-date bus ad for the 2011 Taylor Lautner-led action film “Abduction.” After reading the comments, I realized that the bus stop was in my neighborhood. That was enough of a sign for me to know I had to get to the bottom of the question: Why is there an 11-year-old ad on this bus stop?
Let’s lay out the facts of this case as we know them to be:
- This bus stop is the University/65th stop for Route 26, according to SacRT, which runs to Watt Avenue and Elverta Road.
- According to its website, SacRT’s bus stop advertising is handled by Clear Channel Outdoor, a digital billboard company.
- “Abduction” currently has a 5% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
So, why would a critically-panned movie starring an (at the time) teen heartthrob need to be advertised this long? We’ve reached out for answers and will be sure to update you as soon as we crack this case. But in the meantime, you can drop us any leads you may have.
