|
|
|
Factcheck: ‘Eén reclamebord verbruikt evenveel energie als drie huishoudens'
While it is poor form to have your facts easily misinterpreted or refuted, the fact that this article concentrates solely on debunking the specific amount of energy an advertisement uses and not on the underlying premise of the argument seems short sighted. We need to make smart choices about the way we use our collective resources be they energy or our attention. The fact that we use any resources on the promotion of commercial media in our shared public spaces should be the question at hand, not how much.
VIA: Bruzz
De posters van Act For Climate Justice moeten de aandacht trekken en dat is alvast gelukt. Niet alleen in Brussel, maar ook in Leuven, Gent, Oostende, Antwerpen, Namen en Luik werden ze in de nacht van 29 op 30 januari opgehangen op elektronische reclameborden. Naast de claim over het hoge energieverbruik wordt opgeroepen massaal de betrokken ministers rechtstreeks aan te spreken. Dat kan via de website wakeupyourministers.be. More [ HERE] Labels: activism, ad takeovers, Brussels, Clear Channel, climate
Funny Math? Clear Channel’s $3.9 Million Donation to the LAPD
Dennis over at Ban Billboard Blight is a solid crusader who sees through the bullshit and tells it like it is regarding all things advertising and public space in LA. Follow his insights for the incredibly specific and yet oddly universal tactics that the billboard industry is using to edge its way further into the LA city fabric.
The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote this Wednesday on accepting Clear Channel’s donation of space on 12 billboards for LAPD public safety messages. That space for ads running for five weeks is worth a total of $3,978,630, says Clear Channel, which has been heavily lobbying city councilmembers to allow more digital billboards on city streets and to grant amnesty to hundreds of billboards that don’t have permits or have been altered in violation of their permits. More [ HERE] Labels: Ban Billboard Blight, billboards, Clear Channel, illegal advertising, LA
L.A.’s Digital Billboards Go Dark. What’s Next?
Most of Los Angeles's Digital Billboards Have Now Gone Dark
LA has been waging a war against Clear Channel Outdoor for nearly 6 years now, a battle which has cost the city unimaginable amounts of money. Finally today those offending digital signs which are at the center of this debacle have gone dark by court order. While I am happy to see the city of LA take back control its streets from a company who essentially thought it was above the law, I am disheartened that this battle has been waged due to the illegality of the signage and not more ideological issues about advertisings place on our city streets. One battle at a time I guess as I look forward to NPA, and CPI, finally packing their bags from NY and heading back to a city which supports its illegal flyposting business.
Notice a lack of blinky flashiness on the roads yesterday? That's because billboard companies Clear Channel Outdoors and CBS Outdoors actually turned off their digital billboards yesterday, per court order. The move is just the latest in the long-running and surprisingly kind of dramatic battle between billboard companies, other billboard companies, and the city. CBS and Clear Channel put up about 100 signs...More [ HERE] Labels: Ban Billboard Blight, billboards, Clear Channel, Contest Promotions, digital advertising, LA, legal, New York, NPA outdoor, public advertising
Legal Wars: End of the Line for L.A.’s Digital Billboards?
As per usual, Ban Billboard Blight has followed the digital billboard scandal in LA with incredible detail and has recently posted about a potential victory for city residents. What I find incredible about the entire sordid affair that is LA's billboard debacle, is the audacity with which OOH companies act in the face of public outcry and municipal demands. Most recently BBB reports that Clear Channel is threatening to sue the city of LA for well over 100 million dollars in lost revenue and damages if they force the company to remove its digital signage, which was put up illegally during a city wide billboard moratorium. I mean are you fucking kidding me? What other industry do you see acting illegally and then threatening to sue the government when they are told to stop doing illegal things? It is fantastically outrageous and at the same time incredibly disheartening that somehow they continue to get away with these tactics. It is scandals like this, and the many others we report on here at PublicAdCampaign that lead us to believe there is no compromise to allow outdoor advertising a place in our public spaces and that an outright ban is the only way to insure our streets and our minds are treated with the respect they deserve.
The final death knell for the 101 digital billboards now flashing their brilliantly-lighted ads on city streets may have been sounded yesterday, when the California Supreme Court refused to review a lower court ruling that says the permits issued for the signs must be revoked. More [HERE] Labels: Ban Billboard Blight, billboards, cbs outdoor, Clear Channel, digital advertising, LA
Victory against Clear Channel in St. Petersburg Florida
Will L.A.’s Digital Billboards Be Going Dark? And If So, When?
The hits just keep on coming. It does not matter if the company is a small time wildposting OOH like NPA outdoor, or a mega giant like CBS, the quest is for profit without consideration. Something about the practice of selling public space to the highest bidder for commercial products we all don't need, makes you act above the law. I do not understand why our cities allow OOH companies to outright bully them despite having clear set laws imposed by citizens. The fact that we spend so much to defend ourselves from these agressive business maneuvers, instead of filling our schools with more teachers, boggles my mind. The business as a whole has proven its inability to get along with our cities and our rules and should be outright banned from operating at all. We would all be better off for it.
Yesterday’s California Appeals Court decision ordering the revocation of permits issued for 100 digital billboards in Los Angeles was ample cause for celebration by those who have been saying since 2006 that the backroom deal struck with Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor to allow more than 800 of the brightly-lit signs with their rapidly changing messages was illegal because it violated the city’s own ordinances. More [ HERE] Labels: Ban Billboard Blight, billboards, California, cbs outdoor, Clear Channel, digital advertising, illegal advertising, LA, legal
Road Hazard or Next Great Thing? Digital Ads in the Rear Windows of Vehicles
Somehow this is not a joke.
 In the long list of intrusive, distracting, potentially dangerous, and downright bad outdoor advertising ideas, putting the equivalent of a digital billboard in the rear windows of SUV’s and other vehicles has to rate as one of the worst. But if a Minnesota company called Rear Window Media realizes its vision, streets and highways will one day be filled with these vehicles flashing ads for the driver behind, who will likely need to tailgate to get a clear look at ever-changing pitches for products and services. The company is promoting this as a safer alternative to digital billboards. Are they serious? Apparently so. Check it out.Labels: ad creep, Ban Billboard Blight, Clear Channel, LA
Finally, an Easy Way to Dominate Times Square
VIA Ad Age NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Securing prime outdoor advertising real estate just got easier. Clear Channel Spectacolor, the digital signage arm of the company's outdoor division, unveiled Times Square Domination, which will aggregate ad sales for five of the New York location's largest digital billboards. Clear Channel pulled together sign owners Spectacolor, Nasdaq, Reuters, News Corp. and ABC Sports and Entertainment to cooperate and sell the signs together. "Buying all these signs at one time has been effectively impossible," said Tom Hennigan, president of P.R.omotion, the company that will lead the ad sales of the Times Square consortium, which also debuted a new website. The growth and competition among digital billboards comes amid the decline of static signage in Times Square, which has seen ad rates plunge anywhere from 15% to 25% in recent months, with less turnover between campaigns. Ryan Laul, managing director for Hyperspace, a media agency that buys digital out-of-home for Motorola, Schick, CVS and other brands, said more clients have moved toward digital billboards in Times Square because of the creative flexibility and shorter lead-time to secure inventory. "Digital display technology allows you to sync up campaigns so that all the signs work really well together," he said. "In some cases you may want to buy every screen for one full, dedicated hour, or 200 minutes a day and spread it evenly, or two minutes an hour. It allows us to really dominate an area for a product launch or a timely event." Not for everyone
Ray Rotolo, senior VP-managing director of Havas' Chrysalis, cautioned that Times Square as a market isn't always the best place for some clients. "The clutter factor is becoming a major issue for some," he said. "But we've tried roadblocking before, and for some clients it's worked. [The Times Square Domination] changes the game because there's audio involved, and it's become almost a live opportunity to interact with the people that are there. The question now is, how can we really creatively look at this and make it work the best for us?" A buy across Times Square Domination's five screens, based on current rates, would likely run well into the $500,000 to $750,000 range, according to buyer estimates, although terms of deals under the new unit have yet to be discussed, Mr. Rotolo added. Pricing in the area has also gotten more competitive with the recent addition of major digital billboards at Walgreen's on 43rd Street and Broadway and the American Eagle sign on Broadway and 46th Street. The Times Square audience (565,000 daily visitors, 47 million annually) also tends to spend more time in the area with the recent renovation of the last-minute Broadway ticket seller TKTS booth on 47th Street and Broadway, and the closing of the area to car traffic. Another addition soon to come is the Times Square Network, a new cable-esque programming network Spectacolor will debut in 2010 on its digital video screen above the W Hotel.
Michael Steinberg, Spectacolor's VP-sales and marketing, said the network will feature news updates from current editorial partner CNN and fully sponsored original programming, including entertainment news, cooking segments and a tentative series profiling one of the the neighborhood's notorious personalities, the Naked Cowboy. "We want to have out-of-home advertising become a destination in New York," Mr. Steinberg said. Spectacolor President Harry Coghlan was also open to testing the digital billboard ad-network approach to other markets such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles, should the initial results in Times Square pay off. "It's a portable concept that could work with technology as a backdrop," he said. Labels: Clear Channel, New York, news articles, public advertising, Times Square
Maybe The Supreme Court Wants To Weigh In On This One
This usdcsdny.pdf was sent to me regarding the Clear Channel and MetroFuel case with the city of New York. I did a little research and with the help of a friend, found out some simple facts that I think the readers of this site will find interesting.  MetroFuel-Urban Panel So the story begins when MetroFuel sues LA after LA attempts to get the illegal wall panels MetroFuel operates removed. MetroFuel wins this initial battle and cities across the state afflicted by the same blight recoil and put off cases of their own against the company. LA then appeals this decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and wins. The rest of the country awaits anxiously for MetroFuel to request a rehearing of the Appeal. This second go at the same appeal is what we have been anxiously waiting for and it seems they have been denied their request. That's good news for everyone. So why haven't those pesky illuminated Urban Panels begun disappearing as a result of this rehearing request? It's my understanding because we are at the last step, the U.S. Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court decides to hear this case we will obviously be watching closely and reporting diligently. Labels: Clear Channel, illegal advertising, LA, MetroFuel, New York, Supreme Court
Graffiti's Still Not Your Friend?
Billboard Blight: A Gallery Of Shame
People have been commenting that removing outdoor advertising from the public environment would result in a huge loss of jobs for the city, something we can't afford right now. In the short term this is true, but reading a post on Ban Billboard Blight reminded me that a healthy city is far more important than a few short term jobs. In response to the potential job loss, BBB writes. "Perhaps the question to ask these companies is what they do to harm the visual landscape of the city, and how this makes it a less desirable place to live and do business, and what that means for jobs and the economy" VIA Ban Billboard BlightAt last week’s City Planning Commission hearing on proposed revisions to the city’s sign ordinance, representatives and lobbyists representing behemoth corporations like Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor argued that stricter regulations  on outdoor signage would harm the city’s economy and result in the loss of jobs, although they offered no facts or figures to support these assertions. Perhaps the question to ask these companies is what they do to harm the visual landscape of the city, and how this makes it a less desirable place to live and do business, and what that means for jobs and the economy. The billboards in the photos belong to Clear Channel, CBS Outdoor, and Lamar Outdoor (formerly Vista Media). Want to let them know what you think? Send an e-mail to the following: Labels: Ban Billboard Blight, billboards, California, CBS, Clear Channel, LA, Lamar, random thoughts
Supergraphic Signs: Are They Fire Safety Hazards? Councilman Says “Yes”
The language used by many anti billboard and general advertising blight advocates is troubling to me. I am well aware of the fact that in our culture a legal battle is often more immediately effective in the removal of outdoor advertising than a discussion about the negative consequences, to ourselves, and our city environment. The problem is these efforts remove outdoor advertising only to see it re-posted in the same location at a later time, or moved to another place entirely. In order to fully reform our city space to function for those people who live in that space, residents must understand their relationship to the city public and what that space should offer them. I help produce the illegal billboards website, which locates un-permitted illegal signage in New York, but as far as I'm concerned all outdoor advertising is illegal. Via Ban Billboard Blight Almost a year ago, city building inspectors raised this issue at a meeting of the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners. 
These huge signs wrapped over the entire sides of buildings and covering windows could impede firefighters in an emergency, they said. And because almost all the signs have been put up without permits or inspections, they added, there isn’t any way to know if the material or manner of installation meets fire safety standards. Now, City Councilman Jack Weiss wants the fire department to conduct sweeps to identify hazardous supergraphic signs, and get them immediately removed. At a press conference yesterday on Wilshire Blvd. with a huge supergraphic as a backdrop, Weiss also said he would introduce an ordinance to ban unsafe materials and installations. “Supergraphics are going up all around the City and the advertising they carry has blocked views and architecture, but today we know that some of these supergraphics also are blocking escape routes and posing a safety hazard for people inside,” Weiss said. A Fire Department official estimated that there are 90-100 such signs now installed on buildings throughout the city. Because these signs fall under the city’s 2002 ban on new off-site advertising signs, a number have been cited by building inspectors, but one sign company, World Wide Rush, sued the city and this past summer obtained a federal court injunction against enforcement of the ban. The city council just this week received a communication from City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo regarding a closed-door meeting for a “settlement discussion” in that case. By now, everyone knows that the settlement Delgadillo negotiated with Clear Channel and other billboard companies in 2006 has turned out to be disastrous for the city, so stay tuned. Weiss Press Release KABC-TV video World Wide Rush v. City of Los Angeles. Labels: advertising, Ban Billboard Blight, billboards, Clear Channel, community, criticism, illegal advertising, New York, public advertising, random thoughts, supergraphics
|
|
|
De posters van Act For Climate Justice moeten de aandacht trekken en dat is alvast gelukt. Niet alleen in Brussel, maar ook in Leuven, Gent, Oostende, Antwerpen, Namen en Luik werden ze in de nacht van 29 op 30 januari opgehangen op elektronische reclameborden. Naast de claim over het hoge energieverbruik wordt opgeroepen massaal de betrokken ministers rechtstreeks aan te spreken. Dat kan via de website wakeupyourministers.be. More [HERE]
