DOT sued over legality of digital billboards [w/poll]

Jeffrey N. Ross — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 19:20:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Safety

Tired of seeing those bright, digital billboards on the side of the road while driving (especially at night)? Well so is a group called Scenic America that recently filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get the Federal Highway Administration to reverse a 2007 ruling that allowed these billboards to pop up along US roadways since. The advantage of digital billboards is that companies can sell multiple advertisements that change frequently, and it's this part of the billboards that are at the heart of this debate.

According to an article in Ad Week, Scenic America contends that the FHWA (a division of the US Department of Transportation) issued a "guidance memorandum" that circumvented the usual chain of law allowing "intermittent" messages, which was a part of the Highway Beautification Act. On the opposite side of the argument, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America said that digital billboards follow the rules since there is no flashing or animation involved.

What do you think about digital billboards? Let us know in the poll below.

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DOT sued over legality of digital billboards [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Jan 2013 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi tees off Toronto residents with botched TT ads

John Neff — Sat, 19 May 2007 07:31:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Audi

Audi apparently thought it could pull one over on the residents of Toronto, but it got caught. The automaker from Ingolstadt applied for a permit from the Film and Television Office of Toronto to shoot a commercial that would allow it to place double "T" statues that measure six feet high and fifteen feet long all over the city for a period of three days. A press release issued by Audi, however, confirms that no commercial would be shot, but rather that the statues are meant to act as billboards advertising the new Audi TT. The placement of the statues as advertisements, though, violates the city's signage laws.

About 50 of the statues were placed around Toronto, some appearing in park settings where residents go to enjoy natural beauty and a peaceful environment in the city. Clearly, the statues are regarded as a major eyesore, and people are ticked off that Audi and its advertising agency, Maverick PR, bent the rules to place them in the path of Toronto's residents.

Well, the citizenry has risen up against Audi's misuse of the permit and the fact that city officials ever granted it at all. Some have outright vandalized the sculptures, while others have appealed to the local government. City Hall has already responded by ordering Audi to remove all of the sculptures. Power to the people!

Thanks for the tip, David!

[Source: Seemsartless, Spacing.ca, illegalsigns.ca]

Audi tees off Toronto residents with botched TT ads originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2007 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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