Courting controversy outdoors – how to stand out without getting in the way
In October 2018, hundreds of protesters gathered around the Sydney Opera House to oppose a controversial piece of advertising for the Everest horse race.
The ad’s approval had been a subject of national and international debate for days, with the ultimate decision falling to Sydney premier Gladys Berejiklian. After various on-air rants, including a call from Alan Jones to have Opera House chief executive Louise Herron sacked, the promotion was eventually given the go-ahead.
In response, a crowd of protesters shone torches onto the building in an attempt to obscure the projection, held up posters with slogans including “sails not sales”, and booed.
The controversy was an example of what can happen when advertising and public spaces collide uncomfortably. It’s part of a growing opposition towards brash, shouty outdoor advertising that fails to consider the context of its surroundings.
“When you take something as iconic as the Sydney Opera House and use it as an advertising media, it really distracts from the point of it,” explains Ben Stonyer, marketing manager of New Zealand poster placement company Phantom Billstickers. “They’re cashing in on the value that the Opera House has as an iconic building. I’m not sure why anyone thought that would be a good idea.”
Then there was the time Melbourne-based agency, Apparition Media, erased a beloved mural on the side of a terrace in Newtown, Sydney in order to promote the Darren Aronofsky film, Mother. Aronofsky himself took to Twitter, writing: “Just read of ad agency breaking #1 graffiti rule. I’m embarrassed and furious. Apologies to (mural artist Colin) Bebe and I’ll pay to replace the piece.”
Stonyer explains there are ways for advertising to cohabit spaces where murals and landmarks already exist, without rankling the local community. It involves working with a site’s existing artists, instead of against them. “We avoid trying to lease sites with existing murals. Instead, we find out who those artists are and get them to paint murals around our sites. The two can co-exist, but it’s about working with the artists. It all adds to the site you’re leasing.”
Ultimately, anything that will dramatically change a local area should be given serious thought by both advertisers and media owners. People feel a strong sense of ownership over their local area, and never look fondly on drastic changes to the existing landscape. “Imagine if Pepsi went and bought the King’s Cross Coke sign,” says Stonyer. “When something becomes so ingrained in the cityscape, and brands then use it to advertise something different, people tend to get a bit angry when they know they’re being advertised to so blatantly.”
So what’s the alternative? Instead of barging their way into a space, brands and media owners should seek to fit seamlessly into the existing area. Better yet, they should find a way to actively improve their location. JC Decaux’s Kensington billboard in London, for example, shows what can be achieved when architecture, design and advertising join forces. The billboard, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and Patrik Schumacher, integrates sculptural architecture with digital out of home to great effect. Melodie Leung, senior associate at Zaha Hadid design, described the project as both a “civic gesture and a promotional medium”.
Stonyer points to the Via Verde project in Mexico, which has turned hundreds of columns supporting an elevated motorway into an interconnected vertical garden, as another one of his favourite outdoor ideas. The project aims to filter 27,000 tonnes of gas, providing clean oxygen for 25,000 citizens. It was originally designed as a tax-funded project but was eventually funded by various private investors along with help from the government.
But it’s not all about epic, million dollar billboards and giant, city-wide projects. Sometimes, adding a new dimension to a space can be as simple as paying attention to details along each part of the process, no matter how small. When Phantom Billstickers’ spots aren’t being used, for example, the poster operator puts out poetry and works of art as filler placements in between bookings. The designs add a new dimension to the cityscape, in a space which would usually remain blank until another ad came along to fill it.
The ‘less is more’ approach applies to the number of billboards in any given area, too. Overcrowding one space with multiple messages, just for the sake of it, won’t produce an effective result for anyone. In fact, multiple ads can become so overwhelming that consumers will start to tune them out like white noise. “If you’re looking at a corner and it’s got three billboards, and you want to chuck another one up there, what’s the point?” asks Stonyer. “It’s not going to help the media owners sell it, it’s not going to help the public be more engaged with it or more accepting of it.”
It’s clear that there are ways for brands to integrate with the great outdoors without getting in the way – but what can they do to take things one step further, and win the hearts and minds of the people walking past their ads? For Stonyer, the answer is simple: “Get creative, every time. Getting creative will always work.”
And while controversial ads are designed to do exactly that – cause controversy – brands must always remain cognizant of the area’s local laws and council regulations, and be careful not to overstep the line. “That’s not to say that the political advertising that we do can’t be controversial,” Stonyer clarifies.
Ultimately, if controversial advertising can win over the crowd, regardless of their stance on an issue, then it’s usually worth the risk. At the same time, brands must learn when to stay quiet – because the line between audacious and annoying is very thin.