What’s the Deal With Buc-ee’s Upside-Down Billboards?

A Buc-ee’s fan investigates the bizarre, sudden appearance of upside-down Buc-ee’s billboards

Buc-ee’s massive gas stations broke through the Texas border years ago and now the company is expanding beyond the South. As Buc-ee’s grows, new people are exposed to the Buc-ee’s way. That goes from massive stations with dozens of gas pumps, to spacious and clean bathrooms. It also includes Texas-style food and snacks that are generally superior to other fare available during road trips. It also includes an underappreciated part of Buc-ee’s way, and that is marketing. 

A large part of Buc-ee’s marketing is essentially word of mouth. Buc-ee’s converts sharing the gospel of their favorite road trip gas station. That word of mouth extends to merch. Buc-ee’s shirts and hats, Buc-ee’s Stanley-style cups and branded snacks and even the Buc-ee’s seasonal outdoor decorations are part of both Buc-ee’s profit margin and marketing campaign. But the biggest Buc-ee’s marketing medium? It’s surely the billboards.

Buc-ee’s famous billboards

Around the South – and expanding beyond – Buc-ee’s billboards are the talk of the interstate. They can be varying degrees of Dad-joke funny – think “Potty Like a Rockstar” – or make some pop culture references to things like TikTok or Game of Thrones. Another advantage is they start advertising a long way out, meaning families on the road trip can use the billboards as a countdown for their next stop.

It’s certainly a smart gambit. If you see a Chevron – for example – coming up but you’ve known for 60 miles that a Buc-ee’s is at the exit just beyond, you’re more likely to keep on driving to Buc-ee’s. If kids are on the trip, the countdown is a distraction from the monotony of the road. Getting to Buc-ee’s gives a sense of achievement to what would be a regular stop for gas and a bathroom break. Buc-ee’s becomes an important leg of the journey, like checkpoints on the climb up Mt. Everest.

What are the best Buc-ee’s billboards?

Here are a few of my personal favorite billboards:

• No Games Here, Just Thrones: Self-explanatory Game of Thrones reference to Buc-ee’s being the potty capital of the interstate. 
• The Only Ten I See: Being from East Tennessee, we are partial to this variation of the popular pick-up line.
• You Can Hold It: Every dad’s road-trip mantra.
• Don’t Stay Thirsty My Friends: Reference to the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man campaign, which closed with the opposite slogan.&
• Hello, is it the Beaver You’re Looking Dor?: I am pro any reference to Lionel Richie’s 1983 classic “Hello.” The only thing that would make this better would be a video of a blind student sculpting a Beaver face based on feel. 

Upside-down billboard sightings

Part of Buc-ee’s billboard campaign has been upside-down billboards. They can cause confusion and consternation on the roadway. Why is that billboard upside down? Is it supposed to be that way? Did they think it would look right-side up if you saw it from a plane? What in the Sam Hill is going on here?

What does it all mean?

George Carlin once said about people looking for hidden signs, “Some things don’t mean anything.” That is the case here though some have tried to read more into it. There are places – if you can believe it – where people have been skeptical about an impending Buc-ee’s arrival. Colorado, for instance. But there was some opposition and so, when an upside-down billboard appeared, there was conversation about what it meant. Was it Buc-ee’s trying to get attention or was it an expensive protest with a muddled message? 

The answer was the former. Buc-ee’s just likes to stand out. Whether the billboards are clever or just upside down, they are designed to get attention. The point is to get you wondering whether or not it was a mistake. What does Buc-ee’s care, as long as you are seeing the billboard and the company’s existence is being implanted deep in your medulla oblongata? Some say the underlying message is that Buc-ee’s is different and stands out from the crowd, but I say a billboard that says “In my Buc-ee’s Era” achieves the same goal. 

Are you planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains soon? Make sure to check out our coupons page before your trip!

Have a question or comment about something in this article? Contact our staff here. You may also contact our editorial team at info@thesmokies.com.