The restrictions follow a similar decree in Beijing that has left the city’s billboards bare in preparation for the Olympics.
To combat what it sees as an over-proliferation of outdoor advertising in Shanghai, the government plans to introduce regulations governing size and placement of all outdoor promotions.
To combat what it sees as an over-proliferation of outdoor advertising in Shanghai, the government plans to introduce regulations governing size and placement of all outdoor promotions.
Jay Lin, chief executive of Heartland China, commented that Shanghai was “typically more tolerant” of outdoor advertising than the rest of the country, noting that a lack of strategic arrangement created problems for the government in controlling the city’s outdoor campaigns.
He added that while media agencies had yet to be seriously affected by the ban, there was considerable consternation among vendors, who had begun lobbying the government and had created a website bearing the image of an empty rice bowl to symbolise the ban’s threat to their livelihood.
“How determined the government wants to be remains to be seen,” said Lin.
