They say money can't buy happiness, but it might just help make Brandy Day prom queen.
The Killeen Daily Herald reports that Tammy Day spent $1200 to $1,300 on newspaper ads, fliers and a giant billboard promoting her daughter's campaign for prom queen.
"She's my only child and she's all I have," Day told the Herald. "This is her last school year and school means an awful lot to her."
One student told ABC News that the publicity campaign is over-the-top.
"That's crazy," he said. "Why would someone go that far for prom queen? That's just overboard."
Despite the big spending, Jezebel suspects the campaign might not work:
No teenagers (nor anyone, really) read print newspaper ads, no one wants their name displayed outside of a Mexican restaurant (actually, that part's maybe the coolest — do Brandy supporters get free tacos?), and it's highly unlikely that an ostentatious billboard will garner the poor girl any votes.
Tammy Day acknowledged to ABC that some parents and students might think her advertising blitz is a bit much.
“But then again, it only happens one time in your child’s life,” she said.
For more on this story, watch the video report above.
UPDATE: Tammy Day sent this response to The Huffington Post:
In ref to: Jezebel statements: Of course teens don't read newspaper nor pay any attention to billboards along roads. THAT was not the PURPOSE! The purpose was to give my Mild Cerebral Palsy (from waist down) daughter for once in her life a "SHINNING MOMENT!" The WOW factor! She has suffered through physical and mental pain from MCP, to being bullied and made fun of by her peers...throughout her school years and she has never ran for any office at school! I felt she deserves to get to shine for once in her life! This is her last prom and school year and I wanted to help make the best possible memories for our family that I could. Thanks to local businesses support, family, and friends who all helped and contributed help make it happen! Brandy made her own flyers, banner, posters, bandanas, buttons, handouts etc...herself at home! To include she campaign locally for herself as I tagged along to hang flyers in local businesses windows etc…. All teens joke all the time about things they wished or want to do, but this one joke I thought was within reach and I collected/campaigned for it! The billboard nor the newspaper ad was NOT her doing. She had NO idea! It was all a complete surprise to her. It is just a shame that others and her peers do not have the desire or the motivation to do the same. All they have to do is “WORK HARD, CAMPAIGN, AND LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU NEED HELP!” But guess that is “TOO MUCH WORK FOR THEM.” That is the problem with these peers of hers, they want all for nothing and if they don’t get it then they look to blame the ones who do! I am a firm believer if you “want something” then “you need to work for it” i.e. campaign strongly, get out and talk to people etc... If you don’t want it, then DON’T TALK BADLY ABOUT OTHER WHO DO AND WORK THEIR BOTTOMS OFF i.e. BRANDY! It is no different than what politicians do, the president, mayors, city officials etc… You have to put forth the effort! It is only to her peers and other that it is overboard or over the top, because they “chose not to make those special memories for themselves!” I can’t help it if I wanted to GIVE MY DAUGHTER THOSE LAST MEMORIES OF HIGH SCHOOL! SHE HAS WORKED EXTREMELY HARD ON THIS CAMPAIGN AND DESERVES TO SHINE IN HER FINAL SCHOOL YEARS AND HAVE THAT WOW FACTOR (all girl teens want). FAMILY IS IMPORTANT TO US and WE WORK TOGETHER AS A FAMILY FOR EACH OTHER. AGAIN, IT IS NOT A MATTER OF WINNING OR LOOSING, IT IS ABOUT SHINNING, MAKING LASTING MEMORIES WITH ALL THE WOW FACTORS YOU CAN DURING YOUR LAST HIGH SCHOOL YEAR! It is a shame that KATIE J.M. BAKER is a pathetic writer who wrote lies (far from the truth). She is the lowest of the low a very trashy writer/journalist. She gives good journalist/writers a bad rap. But there are those folks who like trash unfortunately. Well Jezebel is not better they placed themselves right along her i.e. trashy, disrespectful, dishonest and the list goes on… Sad that people in this world are making their (Ms. Baker & Jezebel) paycheck by enticing such trash!