Billboard War Unfolds In Texas As UTEP Claps Back At New Mexico State With Brilliant Backside Rebuttal
New Mexico State and UTEP's rivalry has taken a new twist in recent weeks. The two schools, which are separated by less than 50 miles, typically duke it out in the Battle of I-10.
UTEP and New Mexico State (via Google Maps)
Recently, however, the rivalry has reached new heights, literally. It started back in the fall and was instigated by the Aggies, which led to recent retaliation by the Miners.
UTEP and New Mexico State are in a billboard war.
New Mexico State put up a billboard on 4012 North Mesa Street, which is less than one full mile from the University of Texas at El Paso campus. It showed a young woman wearing a NM State shirt with the caption 'You'd look better in CRIMSON.'
Obviously, the billboard was a direct shot at the cross-state rivals. Justin Banniser, New Mexico State's associate vice president of marketing and communications, said that the advertisement's placement was intentional, in an effort to recruit students and "get noticed by our rivals in both El Paso and Albuquerque."
New Mexico State's long-standing billboard. (Image via KFOX14)
UTEP has since responded with a billboard of their own. It just so happened to be directly on the back of the original billboard.
On the backside of the billboard that the Aggies erected, the Miners took the opportunity to promote their own school over their rival. It shows the back of the girl featured on the front with her left hand behind her back doing UTEP's hand signal, which represents the pick axe.
Where New Mexico State referenced looking better in crimson, its rivals didn't even reference their colors. Instead, UTEP essentially told prospective students to pick the better school instead of a shade of red.
In addition, where the Aggies didn't provide anywhere to seek additional information, the Miners put its school website.
UTEP's rebuttal billboard. (Image via KFOX14)
Although one has to question what took UTEP so long to respond, it won the exchange in the long run. Bannister even admitted that it was well played!