Being seen versus being clutter

"How can outdoor advertising avoid clutter and visual pollution in public spaces?" asked LinkedIn for a recent collaborative article on their site.

"Be creative and context-aware," they advised. "Find ways to integrate your ads with the environment, the culture, and the audience … make your ads more engaging, memorable, and respectful, while avoiding the risk of being intrusive or offensive.


As one of the "select group of experts" who were invited to contribute, I added this to the discussion:


By definition, you want your ad to be noticed; disrupting the environment is pretty much how it happens. Merging into the background means you’re not being seen. Yes, engaging viewers with a clever idea or visual can make the intrusiveness sting less. 

 

But maybe the question we should be asking is how much the potential for attracting eyes justifies the potential for distracting drivers. 

 

I was once tasked by a highway safety group to write outdoor messages alerting drivers to the dangers of distracted driving. Realizing that my billboards would potentially be contributing to the problem, I decided the only responsible solution was very short, very direct messages: “Get off the phone. “Put down the coffee.” “Stop checking your makeup.”

 

You can see all more of this ad campaign here.

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