Selling out the city to advertising? Nothing new to see here
The current fights between city councils and Telstra over outdoor advertising are part of a broader and long-standing concern over public signage, says RMIT professor of advertising, Rob Crawford in this cross posting from The Conversation.
Recent debates about prominent advertising in Melbourne and Sydney have highlighted public concerns about the commercialisation of public space. The sense that our cities have become increasingly vulnerable to commercial forces is premised on the assumption that advertising has no place in our cities.
An example of large format JC Decaux ads in Perth CBD
However, historical images of our cities challenge this view. They reveal advertising and commercial signage to be an ever-present part of our cityscapes and urban life.
A recent controversy in Melbourne over a proposed billboard has echoes of 19th-century debates over billboards occupying prominent city sites. Projections of animated images onto the wall of 231 Swanston Street will turn it into one of the largest advertising billboards in the city. Described as a “mega-sized 305 square metre display”, its size is a key issue, but the controversy does not end there.
Great, thanks for this.