What would it be like if outdoor billboard ads were banned in NYC’s Times Square? To me part of the allure of Times Square is the ads. The advertising, to me, is like artwork. Not only that, the lights and digital screens brighten up Times Square to make it almost seem as though it’s daytime, even in the middle of the night.

Would Times Square feel as alive as it does right now if there were billboards, no advertising, no flashing neon lights, and no television screens? The reason I ask is that Sao Paulo, Brazil has just recently banned all outdoor advertising in the city with the aim of bringing it closer to being a perceived urban ideal. The city government of Sao Paulo believes that a city without ads is better city.

Do outdoor ads really diminish the value of a city? What if the city has a bland architecture? Remove the ads and it might make it worse. I was in the formerly communist East Berlin a few years ago and I remember it being void of any color. All the buildings looked the same and were a bland color. I remember thinking that the city could use some bright billboards to liven it up.

Advertising is a mainstay in business and outdoor advertising is one avenue of the advertising pipeline. Some people hate ads because they are constantly inundated by them. Not me. I like ads and I like advertising, especially outdoor advertising. I shutter to think what Times Square would like without any ads.

Be sure to check out some of the advertising professionals on TradePals, like this New York creative director, this creator of logo branded products, and this print and internet marketing rep.

Source: www.articledashboard.com