Over the past six months, Philadelphia City Council has proposed a myriad of bills that would place advertisements in our public spaces, e.g. on school buses, on newsstands, entire sides of buildings facing historic districts, on municipal property citywide, even legalizing the small posters plaguing our neighborhoods (“We buy ugly houses!”). Several of the proposed bills relate to digital signage (electronically changing digital message boards utilizing LED technology). Not all the bills have passed, some have quietly slipped onto a back burner, but a trend is emerging. Our lawmakers are seeking to create specific legislation to circumvent the zoning code and allow outdoor advertising to be placed in our public spaces, oftentimes in exchange for specific revenues.
The outdoor advertising industry has thrived while other forms of traditional advertising (newspapers, magazines, etc.) have declined. It remains the one form of advertising that cannot be tuned out or turned off. The industry seeks to place large, changing ads in unexpected places, making them that much more effective. Outdoor advertisers in recent years have developed strategies and made inroads in partnering with cash-strapped municipalities across the globe.
