Part of the reason the two creatives choose a billboard as the medium to deliver their message was because social channels can get saturated with content, they said. Plus, putting “weird” on a sign near Mar-a-Lago meant it was more likely Trump himself might see it, they explained.

The gamble with a one-word billboard free from any additional context is that many people passing by won’t understand. They might be unaware of the reference.

At the same time, however, those oblivious to Brat Summer may find the billboard compelling precisely because it’s so peculiar.

“I understand you have to be in the know to understand this, but there are layers to messaging,” said Tessa Petit, executive director of FLIC Votes. “You want people who are driving by to say, ‘What is that?’ then go and maybe Google ‘weird’ or see what’s trending about weird.”

As the Democratic National Convention approaches, the Harris and Trump campaigns have pushed into paid media, debuting new commercials airing in battleground states. Advertising dollars dedicated to the U.S. presidential general election are expected to reach $2.16 billion this year, up 17% compared to the 2020 race, according to advertising intelligence and analytics firm AdImpact.