Balancing Modern Ads with Urban Authenticity

This article explores the impact of outdoor advertising on city authenticity, comparing global examples like Times Square and Kyoto, and urges a balanced approach to preserve the distinct character of urban spaces while benefiting economically.

When you hear the word city, what is the image that comes to mind? For me and most of us, I believe, it is a cluster of high rises flashing by in my vision. It is not any particular city, just a generic image. Skyscrapers and tall buildings are to be found in the most developed cities in the world. And billboards add to the larger-than-life image of cities. Brightly lit hoardings that jostle to capture people’s attention have become a part of the standardised urban landscape. They are the product of and, in turn, fuel a consumerist society. But in the race to become the best, smartest, fastest, and most technologically advanced, cities stand to lose their authenticity.

Authenticity in the globalised city

In the globalised world today, where the digital world has become more real than the real world, geography has become a less important part of identity, especially with large metropolitan cities. Cities like New York and London are cauldrons of mixed identities that give rise to their cosmopolitanism, which itself has become a part of the identity of those living in these cities. Consider places like Times Square and Piccadilly Circus. Famous for their billboards, they are symbolic of their cities’ authentic cultures.

Billboards are the most traditional form of mass communication and remain relevant even in times of social media where advertisements rule content. In fact, brightly illuminated theatre marquees vied for the attention of passersby, even during the Great Depression, on Times Square. Prior to the era of television and the internet, this was where the end of World War II was announced through headlines scrolling around the electric Motogram outside the Times Tower. It became and continues to be an enduring representation of American culture on a global scale. This ethos of the city has been preserved by city officials since. A plan to construct towering corporate buildings in Times Square during the 1980s was met with strong opposition from architects, urban planners, and civic groups. The Municipal Art Society, then, spearheaded a movement to preserve Times Square’s unique urban ethos by mandating that every new building in the area feature a large electronic billboard.

Kyoto Culture

Billboards do not always inspire this energy, as in Times Square. Cities around Asia, for example, have different histories embedded in their urban fabric; one often sees a glaring contrast between the old and the new cities. However, the city of Kyoto has been able to create continuity from its past to the present through its outdoor advertising policy.

The city’s modernisation, combined with massive, uncontrolled advertising practices, has transformed this landscape over time, and the fear of losing its cultural heritage in the near future prompted the Kyoto Government to impose a series of restrictions on outdoor advertising.

Kyoto City’s Outdoor Advertisement Ordinance was revised in 1996. This modification altered the regulations for the height and proportions of ad placards. This had a significant impact on the townscape. Several other rules, such as position, scale, and structural design based on regional features, were imposed.

In a research study done by Ana Seixosa and Maria Cadarso, Kyoto was compared to the capital city of Tokyo on various parameters of outdoor advertisements. For instance, Japanese characters are 38.3 per cent prevalent in Kyoto, while in Tokyo they are 20.6 per cent. Celebrity presence also shows a stark difference in Kyoto (2.2 per cent) and Tokyo (12.2 per cent). Predictably, traditional elements are more prevalent in Kyoto advertisements (16.7 per cent) as opposed to Tokyo (1.7 per cent). The imagery of the billboards is also different in both cities, like realistic photography, which is 10 per cent in Kyoto and 20.6 per cent in Tokyo. This definitely contributes to giving Kyoto its distinctive appeal.

Striking a Balance

Advertisements have their place in urban landscapes and can coexist harmoniously with the city’s identity. In fact, strong advertising campaigns can engender behavioural change in people while providing economic gains. The ‘I Love NY’ campaign is perhaps the most fitting example of this. It single-handedly revived New York’s tourism economy and abated safety issues by giving people a symbol of their love for and belonging to their city.

Most of the advertisements in Indian cities are in English, often with images of celebrities endorsing various products. The huge billboards in urban areas, create homogenous urban landscapes targeted at consumers. Perhaps Indian cities could take notes from these examples and get creative with their outdoor advertising spaces. Bengaluru has recently allowed outdoor ads again after its 2018 ban because it was unable to collect license fees from advertising agencies. Let’s hope this time they find an authentic solution.

In fact, strong advertising campaigns can engender behavioural change in people while providing economic gains. The ‘I Love NY’ campaign is perhaps the most fitting example of this.