Advertising encroachment into the public realm is one of my strongest pet peeves. When outdoor ad companies use guerrilla marketing campaigns to get their message out, I am lead to believe that the other forms of advertising are no longer as effective for their product. And so, I start to view their brand as being desperate for attention. Why else would you spend so much time and money to create a campaign that you know violates local signage bylaws?
The above image is from Paris, where they’ve used the light standard as a prop in their own ad. I freely admit to it being a smart and well-executed ad, but it also makes me wonder why companies think it is okay for them to circumvent the law? Sure, it doesn’t harm anyone, but it also degrades the ambience and atmosphere of streetlife if ever few metres you have to duck your head to avoid a sign — nevermind that the ad also cheapens the elegant light standards with stripper-like innuendo.
When cities say it is okay for companies to do these type of things (Spacing has never heard of any company in Toronto ever being fined for breaking our signage bylaws), but in turn criminalize graffiti and postering, you’re sending hypocritical messages to your city dwellers. Incremental intrusion like this makes it easier, in the long run, for companies to turn any surface into potential ad space. I’d certainly like to see the City of Toronto, and the TTC for that matter, draft some kind of policy towards outdoor advertising. If they create a policy, then we will all know when the lines are being crossed.
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It’s getting really exhausting in Toronto. Just when I thought we had a handle on what was going on with street furniture, I was informed about the Toronto Parking Authority’s plan to turn the pay-and-display metres into ads in order to “discourage postering and graffitti” (parking metres apparently fall outside the mandate of the street furniture coordination program). Then there’s also the Cycling Committee’s plan for an ad-funded BikeShare program. There’s something new every other week, and it’s rather discouraging that we can’t fight it all and have to pick and choose our battles.
Illegal signage is being discussed at the April 4 Toronto East York community council meeting at 9:30 AM, Committee Room 1 – http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2006/agendas/committees/te/te060404/it044.pdf
so depute your heart out.
Here’s what Jonathan is talking about, read it and weep: http://www.greenp.com/tpa/boardmeetings/boardmeetings2005/pdf/June%201-2005%20(Item%203-7).pdf
I have spoken with the TPA about this matter, they informed me that add-wraps on meters won’t work – they are pursuing other forms of adds on the meters “which will include public art”. He also told me that adds on meters have in fact been put into the Street Furniture Coordination program although you wouldn’t have guessed it if you attended any of the public consultations, since not one TPA official was there.
The City definitely needs a policy on outdoor advertising. The City’s so called co-ordinated street furntiture campaign is masking an attempt to place advertising in public space using the furniture as an excuse. The City has very specific by-laws limiting signage on private buildings but no such guidance for signage in the public realm. This creates the interesting problem of signs in the public realm blocking the view of signs on private property. If that space is as valuable as the advertising suggests this is a legislated infringement of private property rights. And these are tax paying property owners. Time for a class-action suit against the City. I thought they were supposed to support local businesses not global corporate advertising.
All that Parisan rioting probably took care of the woman-humping-the-pole ads.
Why does everyone have such a problem with ads? One of my favourite things about London was how the ads in the bus shelters and underground stations changed every minute or so. It gave you something to amuse yourself with while you were alone, and it provided with a nice distraction when everyone was too tired to have a real conversation. I don’t know if the TTC has ever looked into something like that. I do know that if they do, people like the TPSC would cry bloody murder until it was cancelled.
For me, Mike, the problem isn’t so much the ad creep itself as it is the double-standard Matthew writes about in his post. Why is illegal advertising tolerated when postering — which supports a city’s independent arts community and is an essential venue for raising political awareness — is not? Why can an ad company circumvent the law because it has a corporate client when local bands are not allowed to advertise their gigs?