billboards - free speech anything goes or use as commercial product only?

I don't belong to a lot for online forums, and this is the first time I've posted in the cafe...so, if this isn't appropriate, please close/delete thread.

Anyways, I was wondering what your opinions are on billboards? You know, the big signs by roadways. There's obviously commercial ones that are trying to sell things - hamburgers, hotels on the next exit, sail boats, camp grounds.

But then, there's lots of non-commercial ones. Ones about prolife or prochoice, about god. I feel like those issues are way too complex for billboards, and they're not going to change anyone's opinions, in a way a billboard for hamburgers might make someone make a stop. And although I realize the free speech implications, I still think it's kind of weird to have a sign like that. I can't find the right word to describe it. It's like the signs are there just to make the people feel better. I hate to use such a rude analogy, but kind of like a dog marking his territory. Are the signs there to keep people who don't agree with it away? It's not there to try to convince people to change their view points. That requires a more nuance conversation.

The billboard is there, primarily, to generate an income for the billboard companies. Their messages are determined by the willingness of anyone to pay for the services. There are no complicated purposes or motives otherwise. It's money and product placement.

i hate it when people quote a post and type "this" is an affirmation of the quoted post. BUT, if anyone's post deserved a "this," it is empath's. thank you for posting the answer i wish i could have.

coachclass said:

It's not there to try to convince people to change their view points. That requires a more nuance conversation.

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I think the purpose of billboards with bible verses and such is exactly to try to convert people, but I agree with you completely that it is a very ham-handed and ineffective way to do that. One sentence isn't going to be a huge revelation to anybody.

There are also the ones that say things like "Lordy Lordy Barbara's Forty" that the family rented for the month for a laugh.

Of course that's the free-speech thing of it. A billboard's message is usually up for the grab of the highest bidder.

Both. What is posted on a billboard is absolutely free speech. Renting the use of the billboard is a commercial product.

Empath said:

The billboard is there, primarily, to generate an income for the billboard companies. Their messages are determined by the willingness of anyone to pay for the services. There is no complicated purposes or motives otherwise. It's money and product placement.

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Maybe not in regards to the billboard company; they will put anything on there so long as it isn't profane I would assume. But the group that paid the company who owns the billboard had a motive when they handed the billboard people the slip of paper with their respective message on it. That is what I believe coachclass is talking about. What is the motive of those renting the billboard? Why do they feel their single sentence on topic X will be the thing that changes the mind of passerby? If you are hungry, a photo of a super bean burrito from Taco Wagon might convince you to stop. But will a line of text on a billboard be all it takes to change your feelings on a more sensitive subject? Possibly, but I suspect unlikely. What then, is the driving force of those who pay for it? Is it as coachclass stated, simply to make the renter feel better after doing this noble deed in support of their cause?

I doubt a single line of fluff on a billboard will change the opinions of learned folk like the denizens of CPF, but I'm sure there are plenty of people out there whos opinions and ideas can be that easily swayed.

The church, for example, doesn't care for the intelligence of its flock, just how many of them show up on Sunday.

(Disclaimer: this was not intended as a religious flame, but referenced the OP's example, and used to describe the lowest-common-denominator marketing used by people who advertise on billboards.)

Please keep this clean, and not attack any group

Empath said:

There is no complicated purposes or motives otherwise. It's money and product placement.

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nbp said:

But the group that paid the company who owns the billboard had a motive when they handed the billboard people the slip of paper with their respective message on it. That is what I believe coachclass is talking about.

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Yup, nbp understood what I was trying to get at. I agree it's money, but with reference to Empath's comment, what "product" is the God billboard trying to sell? I don't think it's simple economics. A prolife or prochoice or God billboard isn't trying to sell a product.

When McDonald buys billboards, they are doing so to help generate profit (business motive). When certain non-profits buy billboards...is it more like when we buy fancy clothes? Self gratification? The self satisfaction comes only when other people view the billboard (or you in the fancy clothes)?

In the one case, the billboard owner is providing a business to business service that improves the bottom line of their clients (McDonald). In the other case (the non-profits), the billboard owners renting to non-profits aren't serving a business to business service. They're providing personal gratification to the clients directly.

It's interesting to think about how our viewing of the billboard serves two totally different purposes. In the McDonal's case, the billboard viewers are potential customers. In the case of non-profits, the billboard viewers are...what? Not customers. What would you call yourself in this arrangement? Enablers? You viewing the billboard enables the good feelings of the people who rented the billboard? See, totally different relationship. And for me...it's a bit strange!

Sometimes, free speech is used in noble ways to improve the human condition and fight oppression. Sometimes free speech is used to sell products and services and to improve business climate. Sometimes, free speech is used just so someone feels good about themselves. Often when we talk about free speech, we focuse on those doing the speaking. But speech is a two way street. There's not much focus on those to whom the speech is directed. We, the viewers of billboards, fulfill different rolls. I don't mind being a potential customer for McDonalds...I can still choose to not go there (thereby opting out). But there's no opt out for the other types of billboards. Can't drive with your eyes closed.

Not saying that I would support any changes to policies or laws regarding what shouldn't be on billboards. I think as long as it's not offensive or inappropriate, it should be legal. As long as they're not spreading hate, it's fine. But, for so many years, I drive around not really thinking about my role in this free speech exchange, and assuming as Empath does, that it's just business; so long as you got the money, you can use it. But when I think how my role changes depending on what is on that billboard...I can't help but feel a bit dirty. I feel like a pretty girl walking in front of a bunch of construction workers who are using their free speech to jeer at me and making themselves feel good at the same time. Ewww.

Diesel_Bomber said:

Both. What is posted on a billboard is absolutely free speech. Renting the use of the billboard is a commercial product.

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Right. And the person paying for it may be doing so for rational reasons, or emotional reasons, or some complex mixture. Or they may have highly rational economic intent, but be incompetent at marketing. It's not quite as simple as free speech though, because the billboard's existence is subject to local zoning laws, and zoning boards have almost unlimited power to construe terms like "blight" as they see fit.

A billboard is a challenging medium. You can't say very much, and people only see it for a few seconds. Apple does this well: product name, picture of product. That's it. But you really have to know your audience. Posting "John 3:16" in San Francisco is like posting "#lolcats" in front of my grandmother.

Regardless of the message on the billboard, the end goal is the same-behavoir modification of some sort. It doesn't matter whether the end result of this behavoir modification is to purchase a product, or to alter a viewpoint on a (sometimes controversial) subject. The motives for this behavoir modification obviously depend upon who paid for the billboard. For most billboards, the motive is monetary profit, pure and simple, as they exist solely to promote a product or company. I'll go out on a limb and say that money is likely the primary motivator behind many of the other types of billboard ads. Religious? Well, if the person seeing it converts, then your religious order stands to take in more money from donations. If it's a particular political subject, then anyone swayed in your direction may donate money to the various organizations promoting that particular subject. There are in my opinion very few billboards or other forms of advertising which exist solely for some "noble", higher purpose, meaning one which won't directly or indirectly provide monetary benefit to whomever is paying for them. And note the quotes I put around the word "noble". This is because one group's higher purpose is often to the detriment of some other group. For example, coachclass mentioned improving the human condition, or fighting oppression. OK, fighting any kind of oppression is nearly always good, but the same can't be said about improving the human condition. Often improving the human condition comes at the expense of other species, and thus isn't in my opinion always a noble goal. It's certainly a sensible goal for humans, but I wouldn't call it noble by any stretch. In any case, there have been rare times when advertising in all forms did indeed promote positive change, no denying that. Those times however are few and far between. If one wants to find the true motivation behind a billboard, then like nearly everything else just follow the money. If the money trail eventually dead ends, then maybe whomever paid for the billboard really had some higher goal in mind. The other 99.9999% of the time, it's all about hoping the billboard generates more income than it costs.

On another note, I think we've reached saturation with general advertising (billboards, TV commercials, newspaper/magazine ads). Every dollar of general advertising is generating worse returns. Once the returns are generally negative, we'll hopefully go to a world largely free of general advertising, or so I would hope. The future in my opinion is targeted advertising, where someone can search for ads for products or services they're interested in, but can otherwise avoid being exposed to any advertising.