For about a year, Julia Reagan’s face smiled down at us from billboards along every major Utah freeway. Her image became as familiar as the morning traffic. Now that the billboards are gone, we can’t help but feel something’s missing. What once sparked curiosity, conversation, and countless memes has left a surprising void in our daily drives.

It became a fun pastime when driving to work or other places to count the multiple billboards along the freeway with the name of an elderly lady on them. Who was she, and why was she on so many billboards? 

Julia Reagan, the matriarch of the largest billboard company in Utah, Reagan Outdoor Advertising. At the top of the billboards, written in big, bold print letters, it says, “In Loving Memory of Julia Reagan.” Julia died in June of last year at the age of 82. 

The idea of immortalizing her came from her husband, William “Bill” Reagan. Bill has shared his deep love for Julia, which began when he was 20 and she was 23. The heartfelt tribute consists of 360 billboards spread around Utah and other states, including Tennessee, Indiana, Texas, and Las Vegas. 

The billboard tribute elicits a broad range of reactions and opinions from cyber users. The diverse opinions are enthralling, and some deserve deeper thought. 

Reactions From the Community

Julia’s billboards have evoked countless memes, satire, conversations, and forum discussions. Olive Juice Tattoos designed a tattoo of a tombstone with two red roses, one in the upper left corner and the other in the lower right corner. It reads, “Julia Regan.” 

A woman on Facebook said, “She’s everyone’s grandma now.” The post gathered 462 reactions. A couple of people expressed that she will be their Halloween costume.

 A TikTok user made a satire clip, which says, “Told myself I wouldn’t drink until I was reminded of Julian Reagan.” Another TikToker created one that says, “Utah, hear me out: it is time we stop pretending Julia Reagan is our unofficial state saint. I propose we make it official: Julia Reagan Day. We meet at the biggest billboard; everyone brings a casserole. There will be bouncy houses; there will be a soda bar. Let’s do this for Julia. She is watching.” 

I asked the community for their input about the billboards and what they mentioned was diverse and interesting. 

Lyss Wilson from Roy said, “I’ve never been annoyed by it. In fact, I always think about how much her husband must’ve loved and cherished her. I also think it’s so cute that she has a different outfit in all of them & it’s fun to think that she did THAT MANY photoshoots before she passed away. It’s obvious she was a QUEEN.”

Kylee Ann from Clearfield added, “I can tell you one thing it did: … it skyrocketed my dating standards! If he won’t do that for me, he HE’S NOT THE ONE.” 

An Alleged Malpractice

Bill Reagan shared on social media that, in part, the billboards were to bring awareness about the alleged malpractice that he says was what killed his wife. Reagan sued the University of Utah hospital for wrongful death, which he claims resulted from the staff’s failure to provide her with the necessary care. The issue is still ongoing. 

While some community members focus on the romantic side, some ponder the benefits and impact that billboards could have. 

“I think it’s great. It’s bringing awareness to the fact that there was medical malpractice. If you know the story anyway. And it’s made me curious if it would be an option to rent billboards for a precious child in my circle facing cancer and how horrible medical [care] is for stuff like that. Would it be worthwhile to put the child’s GoFundMe or something on? I’m sure there are others fighting medical malpractice, etc.,” stated Amber from Davis County. 

Tamila Zangari said, “They are excessive at this point. I wish they had a blurb on there about malpractice, or maybe something we didn’t know about her. Bring some attention to the issue at hand.”

An anonymous commenter from Ogden said, “They should replace them with living women now to shout out. Just rotate them.” 

A Reddit user commented, “I think everyone needs to email Reagan and suggest they donate the space on these billboards to non-profits. For example, a billboard for the Humane Society & put “In memory of Julia” on it. They could really do something good for the community.”

A Marketing Strategy

There has been some analysis regarding Reagan’s advertising side. Discussions on forums state that it is the perfect marketing campaign. Probably the vast majority of Utahns and citizens from where the billboards are placed have never heard of Reagan Outdoor Advertising. After seeing the billboards along the freeway, people gathered information about the company and its impact on people. 

A Salt Lake City citizen commented on Reddit, stating, “Initially, it felt like a heartfelt tribute. But now that it’s been over a year with the billboards up, it’s morphed into more of a viral marketing endeavor.”

The relationship between marketing and psychology has been long-established. Consumer behavior is key to the effectiveness or failure of a marketing campaign. Businesses have witnessed the outcome of emotional triggers that numerous billboards with the same sentimental subject have in people. From that information, they could structure a marketing strategy using the same or similar parameters. 

Another Reddit user said, “The Julia Reagan billboards are just another marketing case study. Every social media post is being logged by Reagan and they are actively surveying to see its effect.”

One thing is sure: the Julia Reagan billboards have proven effective in that kind of advertising. 

The billboards with Julia’s image were recently taken down, but they will return each year as an annual tradition, going back up two weeks before Memorial Day and staying up for 30 days to honor Julia’s memory.

Reagan Outdoor Advertising is known to a broader audience than before Julia Reagan’s billboards placement. They became an internet sensation, proving that people will engage in whatever they find amusing, annoying, or interesting.

Special thanks to Bryant Heath of @SLSees, the creator of the Unusual Salt Lake Sights Instagram account, who’s made it his mission to document the city’s quirks while running its streets.