Study: Outdoor advertising in the city of Zurich
On Sunday, Stefanie Kägi published her master’s thesis, «Outdoor Advertising Space in the City of Zurich: An Analysis of Stakeholders, Rules, and Power.» The study sheds more light on the state of outdoor advertising in Zurich. According to the study, the public lacks the strategic capacity to take action, billboard companies are not informed about public concerns and needs, and the city’s hands are tied.
Stefanie Kägi interviewed all relevant stakeholders in outdoor advertising - representatives of the poster companies, the city of Zurich and civil society - in order to determine the extent to which the public has a say in the design of public advertising space. Following Otfried Jarren, it emerged that the general public is not an actor and therefore not capable of strategic action, but merely a role holder. It has also been shown that the poster companies are not informed about the concerns of organized civil society and the needs of the public. They also make no effort to engage in dialog - just as civil society makes no effort to engage in dialog with the poster companies.
Even if, according to Stefanie Kägi, the city has more room for maneuver today than in the past, its hands are often tied. Once a poster site on private property has been approved, this approval can no longer be withdrawn. There is no income for the city, as the permit fee is as high as the required expenditure and the city of Zurich cannot charge any fees for the approximately 75 percent of private advertising spaces. Although the new poster concept has come into force, posters that do not meet the new requirements cannot be removed. Newly approved poster sites are not publicly advertised or posted, and the public is not informed of their options for appealing.
Even if, according to Stefanie Kägi, the city has more room for maneuver today than in the past, its hands are often tied. Once a poster site on private property has been approved, this approval can no longer be withdrawn. There is no income for the city, as the permit fee is as high as the required expenditure and the city of Zurich cannot charge any fees for the approximately 75 percent of private advertising spaces. Although the new poster concept has come into force, posters that do not meet the new requirements cannot be removed. Newly approved poster sites are not publicly advertised or posted, and the public is not informed of their options for appealing.
