Petition launched to restrict poster advertising in Zurich
On Monday, the interest group IG Plakat | Raum | Gesellschaft launched a petition to restrict billboard advertising in the city of Zurich and has received a positive response.
The interest group IG Plakat | Raum | Gesellschaft (IG PRG) launched a petition on Monday to restrict poster advertising in the city of Zurich. The aim of the petition, which is addressed to the city council, is to reduce the number of billboards by 50 percent. The campaign was triggered by the new concept for outdoor advertising presented by the city of Zurich at the beginning of March, which envisages a 15 percent increase in advertising space. As Christian Hänggi, board member of IG PRG, told Werbewoche, the initiators believe that the new concept is "a step in the wrong direction". There are three reasons for this: Firstly, billboard advertising cannot be switched off, which makes it impossible to deal with advertising messages in a responsible manner; secondly, billboard advertising means a visual devaluation of the cityscape; and thirdly, billboard advertising brings no benefit whatsoever for users of the public space. Hänggi cites the fact that, with the exception of telephone booths, no billboard advertising can be seen in prestigious areas of the city such as Bahnhofstrasse as an indicator of point two.
The IG PRG, which is organized as an association, recognizes the economic and social role of advertising, but is committed to opposing excessive poster advertising. According to Hänggi, the response to the petition has been very good, with over a hundred signatures collected on May 1st alone. Hänggi sees the reason for the positive reactions in the fact that the petition is not aimed at an absolute ban on posters, but at a compromise that would benefit both sides. On July 31, the board of the IG PRG will review the feedback on the petition and define the next steps. Another measure planned is the expansion of the website, which currently only contains the online petition. At the beginning of June, the website will include a general information center on outdoor advertising, with background information and articles on poster advertising.Kathrin Fischer
The IG PRG, which is organized as an association, recognizes the economic and social role of advertising, but is committed to opposing excessive poster advertising. According to Hänggi, the response to the petition has been very good, with over a hundred signatures collected on May 1st alone. Hänggi sees the reason for the positive reactions in the fact that the petition is not aimed at an absolute ban on posters, but at a compromise that would benefit both sides. On July 31, the board of the IG PRG will review the feedback on the petition and define the next steps. Another measure planned is the expansion of the website, which currently only contains the online petition. At the beginning of June, the website will include a general information center on outdoor advertising, with background information and articles on poster advertising.Kathrin Fischer
