Hey L.A. Arizona tourism billboards...

With Arizona only being a short 45 minute flight away from L.A., it makes sense for The Grand Canyon State to advertise to Los Angelenos in an attempt to drum up some tourism.

These witty tongue-in-cheek billboards poking fun at L.A.'s notorious car culture problems, like rush hour traffic and parking, are a clever way to get a reaction, be it a wry grin or a disdainful shake of the head, from local passersby in their cars or on foot.

The giant 'bumper-to-bumper traffic' billboard version was spotted along West Hollywood's Sunset Strip on January 10, whilst the 'parking's tricky' ad creative was spied along Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood on February 1, 2014.

That's certainly great media buying as both billboards are in major commuter zones, with motorists who have plenty of time sitting in traffic to be tempted by the prospect of adventurous horseback riding or boating along peaceful rivers, rather than being stuck in gridlock hell.

It's also nice to see the advertiser talking directly to the local audience, with more than a degree of understanding of local conditions, and using humour to sell its offering.

For more examples of how other U.S. States and other countries advertise themselves, be sure to check out these other travel and tourism ad campaigns, including billboards promoting Utah, Great Britain and Turkey as travel destinations, to name just a few.