In the village Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, they’re not a fan of cyclists.
At least, that’s how I imagine it.The village is located south of Amsterdam and opens up a beautiful cycling area.
On a sunny Sunday, thousands of cyclists cycle through Ouderkerk, on their way to polders and ditches.
Most of them are ‘mamils’: middle-aged men in lycra.
Until recently, you couldn’t walk safely through the narrow Dorpsstraat of Ouderkerk on such a summer day. Left and right, the mamils raced by.
But now, the municipality has come up with something clever. A friendly sign to tempt cyclists to detour, and thus avoid the Dorpsstraat.
This is the sign:
This sign is clever because it speaks the language of the target audience.
Among cyclists, KOM stands for King of the Mountain. In the Strava sports app, you get the KOM crown if you’re the fastest in a segment – hilly or flat. ‘Kom’ is also the Dutch word for ‘come’.
I am a mamil myself.
Every time I see the KOM sign, I have to smile. And I am more than willing to change my route.
Do you want your audience to be more benevolent and understand you better?
Speak its language, use its words.
Regards,
Arnaud