Love and playoffs are in the air in Buffalo.
Delaware North’s billboard across from corporate headquarters last week suddenly got a lot of media attention after CBS Sports lead NFL reporter Tracy Wolfson tweeted out a photo of it ahead of the Jan. 12 Wild Card matchup game between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.
The billboard, which reads “The Queen City has a new queen,” is congratulating Buffalo Bills quarterback and NFL MVP candidate Josh Allen, who is recently engaged to actress Hailee Steinfeld. The billboard depicts two playing cards – a king and queen – as Buffalo is known as “the Queen City.”
Wolfson, who was staying at the company-owned-and-operated The Westin Buffalo ahead of the game, tweeted a photo of the billboard from the fourth-floor fitness center with the caption, “Good morning from Buffalo!”
From there, the story was picked up and covered by People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, US Weekly, Yahoo! Entertainment, and – most notably – Steinfeld’s Beau Society newsletter. The shoutout read: “There’s champagne, there’s beautifully written cards, and then there’s ‘congratulations on your engagement’ billboards. This was a wild and very sweet surprise. Thank you, Delaware North and Buffalo. I’m honored.”
Partnership Marketing Director Lindsay Truesdell had the idea for the billboard, and Creative Director James Neiler and Senior Graphic Designer Collin Corcoran brought the idea to life.
The billboard, which is located at the corner of Delaware Ave. and Chippewa St., across from Delaware North’s corporate headquarters, regularly features witty or timely messages.