What do you guys think of outdoor advertising? Is it a pollution or a good way for companies to advertise?

In details, is all about the commercialization of public space for private gain? Should outdoor advertising be banned?

What do you guys think of outdoor advertising? Is it a pollution or a good way for companies to advertise?
Are you talking about billboards, or more widely to the light signage that goes on the sidewalk beside premises as well?





Both, IMO, should be much more strictly regulated, they are unsightly, and usually contain too much information for a casual drive-by to get any use from anyway. The lit ones not only use energy that, in this current climate, we should be conserving, but also cause light pollution and distract wildlife such as migrating birds. The plastic handmade signs that you see along the roadside are even worse, they really are litter, and highly unfriendly to the environment, those ones should absolutely be banned and offenders fined.





Along busy roads there are usually so many billboards that I highly doubt they are effective anyway, as you kind of visually tune them out. In the city they amount to little more than expensive litter, and in the countryside it's tantamount to vandalism! Many of them too walk a fine line for me as a parent, having to answer questions from my kid that I don't think are appropriate for her age - and I really am no prude.





* Viridian steps off her soapbox, and clears her throat* Sorry about that, you kind of hit a nerve there!
Reply:I'm a bit torn on the issue. I think it's unsightly, but it works. Back in 2005 I was a sales contractor and I used foam-board signs from Walmart on telephone poles %26amp; made $9,000 directly from my signs and just under $15,000 with referrals from the sign sales from March to August in a city of about 120,000 people. These were almost no work, call-in sales. I spent $50 on materials %26amp; about 30 hours of work to create/hang the signs.





It can be a public nuisance %26amp; can even be illegal in some areas - but I know first hand that it is an effective way to advertise, depending on the product %26amp; the demographic.





However - I don't think that all businesses would benefit from this method, it really depends on the market where the product or service is being advertised.
Reply:i think it is a pollution as it is a waste of time as well as money 4 the ppl who do this job becoz there is none to care for these nowadays .i think it is better to open a website instead.