> The fact that you can advertise in cities is the reason that big tech doesn't capture 100% of profits in every single market.
I really don't think this is true. What evidence leads you to believe that?
> Advertising in cities, from billboards to flyers to stickers is the only way to reach people directly
Most billboards are from [inter]national corporations. Local businesses usually rely on the most effective form of advertising, word-of-mouth. Some of the most successful local businesses in my city have literally never paid for advertising.
Lastly, your complaint is meritless because Adfree Cities is not campaigning to ban all conceivable forms of advertising. From TFA (well, the FAQ page):
> Why doesn’t Adfree Cities campaign against all kinds of advertising?
> Our focus is on creating neighbourhoods and cities free from corporate outdoor advertising such as billboards. There are specific problems with outdoor advertising as explained briefly above and in more detail here: The trouble with billboards. And there are unique opportunities for communities to reclaim these spaces for art, nature and local initiatives.
> > Advertising in cities, from billboards to flyers to stickers is the only way to reach people directly
> Most billboards are from [inter]national corporations. Local businesses usually rely on the most effective form of advertising, word-of-mouth. Some of the most successful local businesses in my city have literally never paid for advertising.
Are they? From my experience, at least on roads here in the US, the majority seems to be realtors, ambulance chasing attorneys, restaurants/casinos/road-side attractions coming up, and various political/religious/group-affiliation advertising. Corporations make up some of course, but it's a lot more mixed than, say, TV ads.
I could be wrong. Maybe the majority are those sorts of local businesses.
What I never seem to see is local businesses I actually want to visit. The cool vintage stores, the goth stores, the retro game shops, the hole-in-the-wall Filipino restaurants, the local craft supply stores, the cat cafes, the weird toy stores, the artisan candy stores, the dubious bone and bone decor shops, the gay book stores, the Japanese import stores, the handmade ceramic planters store... you get the picture. The lifeblood of a city is not what's on its billboards.
> vintage ... retro ... hole in the wall .. weird ... artisan .. dubios
The adjectives you used are the opposite of mass market. Thus mass-market advertising doesn't work, so those businesses don't spend money in those channels.
The ads that work on billboards are very high dollar services businesses, or multi-nationals who need to spend through budgets everywhere for neilsen scores.
For example: insurance, lawyers and RE agents - they need to build "trust" through name recognition so when you do decide to make that purchase/call, you call them first.
A retro game store billboard would be awesome - but how many people driving the interstate are interested in vintage games vs how many people will be buying a home in their lifetime?
There's nothing stopping any business from buying billboards, but the economics just don't make sense apart from the whole "getting your face on a billboard" schtick that's fun.
On the flip side, if you've ever been to a local sporting event like farm league baseball or local race track, you'll see all sorts of billboards for funky little local shops and services. That's cause the ads cost a couple hundred bucks and come with perks like tickets for your employees, and you're supporting your local community, so the ROI doesn't really matter.
Roadside billboards cost thousands per month and typically come with pretty high minimums.
> The adjectives you used are the opposite of mass market. Thus mass-market advertising doesn't work, so those businesses don't spend money in those channels.
I know why they don't advertise on billboards. My point is that billboards are not the life support of local business suggested by the comment I was responding to, because the local businesses that give a city character and community generally don't use billboards.
> For example: insurance, lawyers and RE agents - they need to build "trust" through name recognition so when you do decide to make that purchase/call, you call them first.
...Right. So in other words, the billboard is mostly deception, and it's probably not bringing value to the public.
> Most billboards are from [inter]national corporations. Local businesses usually rely on the most effective form of advertising, word-of-mouth.
Your experience of this will depend on where you're living.
When I lived in a 100,000 population city, the local theatres and museums weren't really big/organised enough to run billboard marketing campaigns and could fill their seats without. On the other hand, in a 500,000+ population city you were more likely to see such organisations marketing.
Places like theatres tend to have location-specific marketing needs, because if you're 90 minutes travel from the opera house you will not be attending a Tuesday evening performance that ends at 22:30*, and marketing it to you would be a waste of time.
I still hate city advertising though, and the way the ad infestation spreads once it's started.
* Yes, people will travel more than 90 minutes for a Christmas performance of The Nutcracker, as a special treat - perhaps even staying in a hotel. But if you're trying to keep your theatre open in months other than December, you've got to fill the seats. And of course, patrons who buy interval drinks can't drive home, further shrinking your core market...
While the billboard may be an international corporation, they target local business. Most billboards I see in rural areas are for local businesses targeting travelers with things they probably need anyway - gas, hotels, and restaurants at the next exit. In cities there is a different mix.
Hotels are often franchises, but it appears to me that the larger the franchise the less likely they are to advertise. McDonald's does some national ads, but often the billboards are a single store paying. Small mom and pop restaurants do get a fair number of billboards as well.
I really don't think this is true. What evidence leads you to believe that?
> Advertising in cities, from billboards to flyers to stickers is the only way to reach people directly
Most billboards are from [inter]national corporations. Local businesses usually rely on the most effective form of advertising, word-of-mouth. Some of the most successful local businesses in my city have literally never paid for advertising.
Lastly, your complaint is meritless because Adfree Cities is not campaigning to ban all conceivable forms of advertising. From TFA (well, the FAQ page):
> Why doesn’t Adfree Cities campaign against all kinds of advertising?
> Our focus is on creating neighbourhoods and cities free from corporate outdoor advertising such as billboards. There are specific problems with outdoor advertising as explained briefly above and in more detail here: The trouble with billboards. And there are unique opportunities for communities to reclaim these spaces for art, nature and local initiatives.