An ambitious group of Flat Earth researchers hope that an electronic billboard in Philadelphia can cause some drivers to reconsider the shape of the planet.
The 'Infinite Plane Society' purchased ad space along Pennsylvania's Schuylkill Expressway in the form of a billboard which declares "Research Flat Earth."
Their hope is that the message will resonate with people who had never considered that the Earth may not be round or, at the very least, inspire them to investigate the possibility.
"We believe this is something that needs to be talked about," Math Powerland of the IPS told CBS Philly.
Funded by a crowdsourcing campaign that raised the $900 necessary to rent the ad space, the billboard is the start of what the group hopes will be an ongoing campaign to reach the public.
According to the IPS, another billboard is planned for New York City and will run for nearly a month, while cities like Denver and Phoenix could also see similar ads in the near future.
Based on the CBS Philly report on the billboard, however, the campaign may not exactly work out too well when it comes to changing minds.
One resident told the station that "I can't believe this is for real" and another denizen largely mocked the Flat Earth movement.
Nonetheless, should more billboards begin cropping up in cities across America, the IPS' goal of getting people talking about the Flat Earth will almost certainly happen.
Whether they simply laugh at the ads or actually pursue the controversial conspiracy theory with genuine interest remains to be seen.
Coast Insiders who would like to learn more about the Flat Earth concept which has become enormously popular in recent years can check out researcher Mark Sargent's appearance on the 5/21/15 edition of the program.
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Source: CBS Philly