Zurich: Electronic billboards are well received
The two electronic billboards, which have been on trial since August at Bellevue and Escher-Wyss-Platz in Zurich, have been well received by a majority of passersby. This was the finding of a survey commissioned by the Office of Urban Planning.
Since August 2013, the city of Zurich, together with APG|SGA and Clear Channel Switzerland, has been testing temporarily approved advertising screens at two locations (Werbewoche.ch reported). A survey of passers-by was carried out over two weeks, the results of which are now available. A total of 313 randomly selected passers-by were interviewed in person, as the city's Department of Buildings announced on Friday. 197 of them live in the city. Of these, 96 were commuters and 70 were tourists. 45 percent liked the advertising screens "rather well", 33 percent even "very well". The screens are "modern" and "enliven the square". The respondents also stated that they would make the squares brighter and therefore safer at night. However, a fifth thought that the screens were too distracting, so that people paid too little attention to incoming streetcars. They also blocked the way and made the square less safe.
Although the acceptance of the two pilot systems was high in the survey, this should not lead to unlimited use of the new form of advertising, the press release states. It should be noted that the majority of respondents were of the opinion that there is already too much advertising in Switzerland today. According to the Office for Urban Development, the results of the survey are only one aspect of the assessment of the new form of advertising. Economic and ecological aspects as well as the impact on the public space are also examined and evaluated. A decision on whether such electronic advertising screens will be used in the city in future will not be made until early 2014 at the earliest. (SDA/PD)
Image: City-zuerich.ch
