Sunglasses maker Spy Optics has a new line of lenses designed in shades that purportedly lift your mood that they’ve dubbed the “Happy” line. As part of their promotion effort the open minds at the company came up with a new ad to fill their leased billboard space in north San Diego County. The sign read “Happy to sit on your face,” a rather clever–yet borderline offensive–reference to their new line of shades. A couple local residents didn’t get the joke and called the billboard owner, who had been leasing it to Spy for a year, and asked him to take the ad down.

That all happened Wednesday, and Thursday employees of the company were joined by several Encinitas residents who have senses of humor in waving signs and protesting at the site of the now removed billboard. “I’m not happy” and “Happiness censored” were among the slogans being proclaimed along Highway 101.

It’s not exactly bad news for Spy, as this has become international news, and as they say in the marketing biz, “Bad press is good press, baby.”